My Guardian Angel
by Suniedaze
Summary: Beatrice Prior is a military brat. She's been all over the world with her father, a General in the Marine Corps. Her father is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune while she attends college. She is unaware that her life is about to take a crazy turn when she takes place in a project to write to military men overseas.
1. Chapter 1

I sit at my desk, pen in my hand as it hovers over a blank piece of paper. I've been sitting like this for the last ten minutes, unsure of what to write. My letter to Zeke is already done, addressed and stamped, but he wanted me to write to one of his friends too. According to Zeke, his friend Four never gets any letters from his friends or family so he thought I'd be the perfect person to write to him. I decide to just jump right in.

 _Four,_

 _My name is Beatrice Prior, and I've been writing to your friend Zeke for the past 3 months as part of a "write to the military" project. I've been living in base housing at Camp Lejeune for the past 3 years with my father General Andrew Prior. I've traveled all over the world with him, staying in places like Japan, Hawaii and California._

 _I currently attend the University of North Carolina in Wilmington where I'm a sophomore. I'm studying nursing to follow in my mother's footsteps. I don't remember too much about her, since she died when I was 5, but she actually met my father when he was injured during a training session and he was her patient._

 _So tell me a little about yourself, Zeke hasn't told me much about you except for your nickname, which I'm sure has a very interesting background story._

 _Stay safe,_

 _Beatrice_

I put my pen down, satisfied with my letter, and remember my first letter from Zeke. I had written a very similar letter to him and his response was telling me about him and his brother Uriah who had both enlisted, but his brother was still training on base at the moment. I ended up meeting Uriah in person a couple weeks later and he instantly fit in with my group of friends, he even starting dating my one friend Marlene.

I look at my clock and realize that I'm actually supposed to be meeting them in an hour. I grab the letters, intending to mail them on the way, as I get my stuff together to meet them at the beach. One of our favorite places to go is Topsail Island and luckily since it's September, the peak tourist season is over. I hop in my jeep and drive across the base towards the barracks to pick up Uriah.

"Hey, Tris," Uriah says as he hops in my jeep. "Is that another letter for my brother?"

"Yep. Him and a letter for one of the guys on his team. Some guy named 'Four'. Have you ever heard of him?"

"I think so, but Zeke didn't say much except that he's from Chicago."

"Well I guess we'll see if he actually writes me back. I feel weird writing to someone that didn't ask for a letter. Your brother had requested a pen pal which is how I got his name."

"Yeah well..." Uriah says with a smile. "I'm pretty sure he was just hoping for a girlfriend when he came back to the states."

I roll my eyes at him. This isn't the first time that Uriah has suggested I should date his brother. I think he just feels bad because I'm the single one in our group. My best friend Christina, and fellow nursing major, has been dating Will for about 6 months now. They had been paired up as lab partners in a genetics class. Will is majoring in Biology with hopes of working in a research lab one day, so a few of our classes overlap. Right now we're all trying to conquer organic chemistry together along with Marlene. She too is a biology major and Uriah jokes all the time that she is too smart for him. Finishing up our group is Shauna. Christina and I had met her during some of our nursing classes and she quickly fit in with our group. She's dating some guy named Eric, another Marine, but we don't see him much. None of us are huge fans of his, but we're polite to him.

Uriah and I stop by the post office so I can mail my letters then we head to the beach. We pull up next to our friends' cars and make the short walk. I see the girls sitting with their arms around Shauna while Will is down by the water. We walk by the girls and I see tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong Shauna?" I ask.

"Eric broke up with me. He said he put in to transfer to Camp Pendleton and he doesn't want any loose ends," she says with a sniffle.

Christina and I make eye contact and I immediately know we're thinking the same thing. We've been hoping they'd break up for a while, especially with the way he treated her. He never hurt her, he just wasn't very nice.

"I know you guys never liked him much, but were just too nice to say anything. To be honest, I'm not really that upset we're not together. I'm just hurt that he cast me aside so easily."

"I know, Shauna," I tell her as I hug her too. "We'll find you a guy worth your time though. There's a base full of hot marines," I say with a wink.

"Oh yes!" Christina adds. "I'd love to help you hunt for a hot marine!"

"I can hear you!" Will yells up from the water so Christina blows him a kiss.

"Uriah, you know any hot marines?" Marlene asks getting up to hug her boyfriend.

"As a matter of fact, I do! The Pedrad's are known for our hotness. My brother comes home in two months."

Shauna gives him a skeptical look, and we all laugh. At least he'll be off my back to date his brother.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm so shocked to see comments after only one night! This is my first AU divergent story, and it's actually already finished. I'll be posting a chapter every day or two after I proofread it. Please be sure to let me know what you think! The first few chapters are short, but they do get a bit longer.**

It's been two weeks since our beach trip and its late once I get home from school. I rush to the kitchen wanting to get dinner ready before my father gets home. I'm just pulling the chicken from the oven when my dad walks in.

"Hey honey, you forgot to grab the mail on the way in. It looks like you have a letter from overseas. Let me know how Zeke is doing."

I take the letter from my dad, not recognizing the handwriting. The penmanship is extremely neat, very unlike Zeke's untidy scrawl. "I don't think this is from Zeke," I say opening the letter.

My dad looks at me confused, "Who is it from then? I wasn't aware you were writing to another Marine."

I don't answer right away, reading the note to myself first.

 _Beatrice,_

 _My name is Four Eaton and I've been a Marine since I graduated high school a few years ago. I've been stationed with Zeke since we both started at boot camp and this is my second tour with him. I've never had anyone write me a letter before, I really appreciate you taking the time to write to me._

 _I grew up in Chicago and enlisted in the Marines as soon as I had my diploma in my hand, and I've never been back. I've met your father a few times, I've always admired how he never seems to abuse his title. You can see the pride he has as a Marine and how he tries to instill that on the rest of us._

 _As for my name, it's not that interesting of a story. During boot camp I was able to complete the obstacle course in 4-minutes flat, hence the nickname. I'm putting my email below, I can check it almost every day, if you find that easier than writing letters._

 _-Four_

I read over the note twice, and I realize my dad is staring at me. "It's from Four Eaton, he's a friend of Zeke's," I tell him.

"Yes, I've heard of him. He's a fantastic soldier. His nickname actually comes from holding the record for the fastest obstacle course, it was four minutes. Before him, the fastest time was 4 minutes, 47 seconds and that record had held for more than 22 years. He has a bright future if he chooses to stay with us."

I stare at his letter, feeling sad that this supposedly amazing Marine has never a letter from a friend. I decide I'm going to go write him an email tonight, eager to learn more about him. I put dinner on the table and am about to sit when my dad hugs me. "I'm very proud of you Beatrice, sometimes letters to these boys overseas is all they have to look forward to."

My heart swells at my father's words, all I want to do is make him proud. This is the reason I went into nursing, I thought he'd be happy to see me follow in my mother's footsteps. I pull out my phone and decided to email Four right now.

"Hey, missy. No phones at the table," my dad says, but he's smiling.

"Four gave me his email and I wanted to write him back. He said in his letter he has never had anyone write to him before, so I figured he might be waiting for my response."

"Well then, type away!" he says before taking a bite.

You would think that being a General for the Marines my dad would be extremely strict, but he's never been that way with me. It was like Four said in his letter, he just tries to instill pride for the Marines into me. I never had the desire to become a Marine myself, but I'm very proud to be the daughter of one. I take a bite of dinner and start typing.

 _Four,_

 _Starting off a friendship with a lie is not a smart thing to do! According to my dad, you're kind of a big deal. He told me that a 4 minute run of the obstacle course smashed the old record by almost a minute, a record that's been in place for 22 years. Seems pretty impressive to me._

 _How is it that you've never had any letters before? Doesn't any of your family from Chicago write you? I asked Zeke's brother, Uriah, about you but he didn't know much. I became friends with Uriah after hearing about him from Zeke. I've never met Zeke in person, but they seem to have a lot in common._

 _Zeke said he only has a couple weeks left overseas, will you be coming back with him?_

 _Stay safe,_

 _Beatrice_

"All done!" I tell my dad as I hit the send button. "How was work today?"

"It was busy. There's a team that's overseas now that is due home just before Thanksgiving, so we're trying to get things set up for the next team to go out there. I always feel bad having to send our troops away right before the holidays." I can see the pain etched on his face as he says this, he really feels bad for the men and women that will be taken away from their family during this season and I think his troops can sense that which is why they respect him so deeply. "Don't look at me like that Beatrice, I'm fine. Shouldn't you go to your room and study or something? If you flunk out of nursing who's going to take care of me in my old age?"

"Looks like you're on your own, old man. I'm going to study, you do the dishes," I say, laughing. I give him a kiss on the cheek and walk to my room. I decide to take a shower before studying, and grab my clothes and head to the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later I'm drying my hair when I hear my phone go off. I go and check it as see it's an email from Four.

 _Beatrice,_

 _Zeke tells me that he usually calls you "Tris". Am I allowed to call you that too? Sorry I downplayed the four-minute thing, but I grew up in house where bragging was considered extremely self-indulgent and therefore selfish._

 _I don't get letters from family, because I don't really have one. My mom died when I was young and saying me and my father don't get along is the understatement of the year. I couldn't wait to get out of that household when I turned 18. A recruiter came to my high school during senior year, and I was hooked. I signed my military papers the day after I graduated._

 _I will be coming home the same time as Zeke, somewhere around November 15th. I'm very much looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and I can't even tell you how much I'm craving a burger from Cook Out._

- _Four_

I can't help but smile when I hear he'll be home in about a month's time. I pick up my Anatomy textbook intending to read, but I find myself daydreaming about the Marine with no family that will be home in a month's time.


	3. Chapter 3

I'm sitting in the student center with Christina, Will, Marlene and Shauna when my phone goes off. I'm really surprised to see its Four. He usually emails at nighttime. Him and I have been emailing back and forth the past few weeks and I'm surprised how close two people can get that have never met face to face.

 _Tris,_

 _Sorry my email is earlier than normal. We had a mission last night and when I came back to try and get some sleep I just felt wired. Rather than lay in bed staring at the ceiling, I figured I'd email you._

 _We've only got a few days left then we debrief and start our way home. I'm really looking forward to meeting you in person, and I was wondering if by any chance you'd like to meet me when we land?_

 _-Four_

I can feel the huge grin on my face and the eyes of my friends staring at me.

"Let me guess, is that number boy?" Christina asks me. I could lie, but she'd see right through me.

"His name is 'Four', not number boy," I tell her.

"Actually his nickname is Four, you have no clue what his real name is," she tells me.

She's right, I have no idea what his real name is, but during one of our email chats he said he'd tell me in person. He said it was a long story and its the kind you tell in person.

I give Will a look he's seen many times before. It means we need some girl time.

"Fine, fine I'm going. I need to get to class anyway," he says as he gives Christina a quick kiss and heads off.

"So what did he say?" Marlene asks me.

"He wants me to meet him when his plane lands," I say with a huge grin on my face.

"When is he coming in?" Christina asks.

"Within a week or two. I'll email him back and see if I can get a better idea of exactly when."

"What are you waiting for? Email him back now!" Shauna says.

"Ok, ok!" I grab my phone and type a quick response, feeling the stares of my friends.

 _Four,_

 _I'd love to meet you there. Are you sure there's no one else you'd rather have there besides some stranger?_

 _-Tris_

I hit send, but I immediately regret asking that. If no one has written to him, I don't know why anyone would want to meet him when he came home. I can't imagine why he has no family or friends, he seems like such an incredible guy.

I've learned a lot from him, yet it doesn't seem like enough. I knew he grew up in Chicago with his dad, his mom passed away when he was young. He was a big jock in high school, but his main sport was football. His dad was one of the coaches and I know he pushed him hoping he'd play in college one day. Four decided to skip college and joined the Marines instead.

Marlene and I walk back to my car since we're done while Shauna and Christina head off for their last class. Marlene wants a ride on base to see Uriah and it's much easier for her to get on base if she's with me. I swing by where Uriah is training to pick him up and I'll drop him and Marlene back at his place.

"So, I hear you're meeting Four when he lands back here," Uriah says with a huge grin on his face as he gets in the car, obviously loving that he has some insider information.

"Where did you hear that?" I asked shocked.

"I actually got to talk to Zeke. Apparently Four was driving him nuts trying to figure out the way to ask you."

I can feel butterflies in my stomach at the thought of Four being nervous to ask me something. Suddenly I feel very apprehensive at the thought of meeting him face to face, though truth be told I'm also very excited. I've never paid much attention to the guys around me, knowing that I would never want to take one home to meet my father.

I drop my friends off and head back to my house. I'm feeling extremely flustered, but it's only made worse when I get another email from Four.

 _Tris,_

 _You're much more than just some stranger. I've told you more through email than I've ever told anyone in person. It would mean a lot to me to have your there when I come home._

 _Four_

I don't really know how to describe the feeling reading that email gave me, but I love it. I can feel my cheeks reddening as I walk inside.

"Everything ok, Beatrice?" my father asks me. Great, of course he's home early today.

"Yep. I'm fine," I say, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Don't make me use my Marine voice," he says with a smile. How am I supposed to tell him? He's going to find out anyway, he's always there to meet the troops when they come home, he'll see me there. I take a deep breath and just go for it.

"Four wants me to meet him when his plane comes in," I say very quickly. At first my dad doesn't say a word, it can't be easy seeing his daughter going to meet some guy at what is a huge emotional event. This is why I never brought any guys home before, but if I get involved with a Marine there's no where we'll be able to hide.

He looks at me like he's choosing his words very carefully. "Honey, you should feel honored that you're the first person he wants to see when he comes home. I need to ask you to please be careful though, these boys don't lead easy lives. I don't want to see you hurt."

"Don't worry Dad, he just doesn't have anyone else so he asked me. It's not like we're dating or anything," I say, feeling embarrassed. What I'm telling him is true, but as I say it I know I'm not telling him the whole truth. I'm not sure how we've become more than just friends considering we've never met, but for the past few weeks we've spent hours online emailing each other back and forth. Some nights we'd send twenty emails to each other, never not finding something to say.

My dad just nods his head and gives me a hug. "Whatever you say, honey. I know how hard it was on your mother when I was traveling overseas, and I wasn't in danger like these boys are. I only worry because I love you."

"I love you too," I tell him, hugging him back. I hear my phone go off and I check it seeing it's Four again. My dad gives a knowing look when I smile and head to my room reading my phone as I go.


	4. Chapter 4

Throughout the next week Four and I continue emailing each other. The week before Thanksgiving I'm working on one of my papers at the kitchen table while my dad is doing some paperwork. My phone goes off and I can see my dad's eyes trained on me. I smile when I see who it's from.

 _Tris_

 _This is the last email you'll get from me for a few days. I have to travel to the main camp over here for debriefing, then I'll start the two day journey home. I won't have access to email again until I'm back home. My flight comes in sometime Sunday. I don't know the specific time yet, but I'm sure your dad can help you out with that._

 _I'm really looking forward to meeting you._

 _-Four_

I can't help but swoon a bit at his email. I type a quick reply hoping he'll see it.

 _Four_

 _I'm really looking forward to meeting you too._

 _Be safe,_

 _Tris_

I wait a minute or two, hoping for one more email and he doesn't disappoint.

 _Tris_

 _I thought you should know I have a huge smile on my face right now._

 _See you soon,_

 _Four_

I decide since I won't hear from him for a few days I'm going to print out his emails and re-read them, trying commit his personality to memory. I'm very nervous about meeting him, so I want to make sure that I don't forget anything he's told me.

My dad's eyes follow me as I leave the room to go and use my printer. He hasn't said anything in a few days, and I'm curious as to how long he can hold back what he's thinking. I'm sure sooner or later it's going to come out.

By the time I'm done I've got about 25 pages of emails back and forth between us. I curl up in my bed and begin to read.

I can't help but smile as I can see our relationship change. We started off very cordial and polite and the emails from him evolve to be teasing, then flirty, then sweet. I'm still not sure how it's possible to be attracted to someone I've never met, but I definitely am.

I've never seen a picture of him, and I've never sent one to him, so I'm nervous about our first meeting. Looks don't matter to me, but I wonder if he'll find me attractive. I have long blonde hair, grey eyes but I think I'm very plain looking. Hopefully looks don't matter to him either.

I hear a knock at my bedroom door and I look up to see my dad. "Mind if I talk to you for a minute?"

"Of course, Dad. What's up?" He takes a deep breath before he continues.

"Beatrice, you know how much I love you, and I only want the best for you, but I'm worried." I can tell from the look in his eyes he's not trying to be a nosey father keeping his 20 year old daughter from dating, he's actually worried about me. "I know these boys are coming home on Sunday, and I beg you to just really consider Four's line of work before you get in too deep. He has an extremely dangerous job. One that doesn't guarantee him a long and happy life."

I can tell this breaks his heart to tell me this, but he really doesn't have to worry. Just because I'm infatuated with Four doesn't mean he is with me.

"Dad, I think your jumping the gun a bit. We're just pen pals."

"Honey, do you have this many letters from Zeke? You've been writing him twice as long," he says as he gestures to my emails strewn across my bed.

"You're assuming things, Dad. Just because I like him doesn't mean he'll like me back." My dad and I have always had a very open relationship, a necessity since I didn't grow up with a mom, but this is definitely a first for us. I can't quite meet his eye when I tell him this.

"Actually I do know how he feels about you for a few reasons." This piques my interest so I look up at him while he continues.

"First, I'm a guy so I speak his language. If he's taking the time to write all of this, he likes you. Second, you are beautiful. He'd be crazy not to fall in love with you the second he sees you. I consider myself very lucky I haven't had to share you with another man before now. I've been ready to beat the gentleman callers away for a few years now." I can't help but blush when he says this. I wonder if it's hard for him to say this stuff.

"And third," he pauses to laugh for a second. "Don't forget I have spies everywhere. From what I'm hearing from overseas, Four seems to be quite smitten with a girl he's been talking to for the last month or so. Apparently he's often teased for how he needs to run to the computer to check his email after they're done for the day."

"Dad!" I yell at him, completely embarrassed. I knew if I got involved with a Marine we'd have nowhere to hide from my father, but this is ridiculous.

"Do you honestly think I'm just going to let you date some guy I know nothing about?"

"What if he wasn't a Marine? I could have been interested in some random guy at school," I say.

"One of the perks of having my daughter raised around Marines. I always knew you'd pick one, we are quite a catch you know," he says with a twinkle in his eye.

"I thought you wanted me to be careful."

"I do. Part of me wishes that you'd stay away from this life, I've seen too many widows and fatherless children. I know you won't though, you're very stubborn just like your mother. She didn't listen when I told her to be careful of me, not that I regret it of course." As he says this, I'm starting to get the feeling he's holding back something from me. I'm used to that though. When your father is a General for the Marines you learn there's a lot of things they can't tell family.

"I'm glad she didn't listen to you either," I say as I hug him.

"You know Beatrice, I never would have thought it would be this easy to talk about boys with my daughter, but this wasn't so bad."

"Right back at you Dad," I say hugging him again.

 ** _A/N - thanks so much to you that have commented, followed and favorited my story! Like I said, this story is complete so your reviews make me want to post sooner. Just let me know when you'd like the next chapter ;-)_**


	5. Chapter 5

The sun is shining when I wake up Sunday morning. My dad told me that the plane is supposed to come in around 1:00, but we need to head over there at 11:30. I had my alarm set for 9:00, but I guess I'm excited because it's not even 8:00 yet. I decide I'll make a big breakfast, something I don't usually have time for. I fry up some bacon, eggs and make some toast knowing its my dads favorite meal. I slice up some fruit too and put the coffee on just as my dad walks down the stairs.

"Wow, what did I do to earn this?" my dad asks as he sits down, still in his pajamas like I am.

"I couldn't sleep, so I figured I'd make breakfast."

"Hey, I'm not complaining! You're more than welcome to make me breakfast any time you want."

We sit down to eat mostly in silence, and I keep catching my dad looking at me.

"Just say it, old man," I say with a laugh.

"Sorry, this is new to me. I'm having some mixed feelings over here." he says.

"I'm a bit nervous too, Dad."

"I don't know if I say this enough, but I'm very proud of you. You've turned into a wonderful young lady, and if Four doesn't see that he's an idiot."

I smile at my dad and give him a kiss on the cheek, not really knowing how to respond.

"Stop embarrassing me and do the dishes, I'm going to take a shower and get ready." I leave the room and I can hear him chuckling under his breath.

I take a long shower, trying to calm my nerves, but it's no use. I go to my room and try to figure out what the heck I'm going to wear. I look at the outfit Christina gave me and immediately put it back in the bag. Even if I had the guts to wear it, my dad would kill me for going out in public like that, even if I'm an adult.

I decide on a casual sundress with leggings, brown boots and a sweater since it's cool. I look in the mirror and I deem myself acceptable, I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard. I go downstairs and see my dad in his dress blues and I feel my heart swell with pride. I've always been proud of my dad and all his accomplishments and I love seeing him in his dress blues.

"Don't you clean up nice, Dad," I say.

"Same can said about you. Are you ready to go?" he asks me.

"It looks like someone else is excited to see this plane come in."

"This team didn't lose any members, it's going to be a happy reunion with their families. It's going to be nice to see." My dad is almost always there when a team comes home after a tour. I know he likes watching the families reunite. It's been a long time since he had to be deployed, but him coming home and me running into his arms is one of my favorite memories.

"Well I'm ready when you are, let's go." We hop in his car to drive to the other side of the base, where the planes come in. My dad is there talking to the other families waiting for their soldier to come home, but I sit quietly. When I see Uriah and his mom I walk over, towards them, happy to see someone I know.

"Hey Tris," he says giving me a hug. "Have you ever met my mom?"

"Hi Mrs. Pedrad, nice to meet you."

"Hello Tris, are you the one that's been writing my son?"

"Yes ma'am. I've been writing to him for a few months now."

"What a sweet girl. How nice of you to write to our boys over there. Do you know someone coming in too?" she asks me.

I choose to not be completely honest. "My dad is one of the Generals. He's usually here for home comings, I figured since I've been writing to a couple of them I'd come to see them come in." I'm suddenly feeling very nervous seeing that it's only a few minutes until 1 so I excuse myself and go by my father. I can feel my palms sweating and I'm shaking, I'm not usually this nervous around new people.

We watch as a plane starts approaching and all the Marines line up to salute the boys coming home, so I'm left with families that are waiting. I hang back a bit, realizing I'm not going to know what Four looks like so I don't want to get in the way. As the plane lands and the soldiers disembark I see a lot of smiling, hugging and crying. I momentarily forget my nervousness seeing these families reunited.

I see Uriah and his mom hugging one of the soldiers while this other one hangs back slightly. His back is to me, so I can't see what he looks like. I see him ask Uriah a question and Uriah points at me. When the soldier turns around and faces me, I stop breathing. He has to be the most handsome man I've ever seen. He's got dark hair and dark blue eyes. When he sees me and smiles I think my legs are going to give out. As he approaches me, I lose all reasoning and I find myself wrapping my arms around his neck. He lifts me up and spins me around, holding me tightly.

When he puts me down, he doesn't let go of me. We stare into each other eyes, both enamored by the other. Finally our senses seem to come back to us, and he speaks first.

"Hi, Tris," he says with a huge grin on his face.

"Hi, Four," I say with an equally big smile. His face falls momentarily and I'm worried about what could be bothering him.

"I've really got to tell you my name later, I don't like you calling me that." I like the way "later" sounds.

"So where is your dad? I should introduce myself," he says suddenly looking nervous.

"You don't need to do that," I say feeling embarrassed.

"Well if I've got any hope of one day dating the General's daughter, I think I should," he tells me, his face turning red. I can feel my eyes widen and I'm rendered speechless.

"So you're not disappointed that you asked me to be here?" He pulls me in for a hug, and I forget that we're around so many people.

"Tris, there's a lot of feelings going on in me right now, but disappointment is definitely not one of them. Now let's go find your dad."

I look around and see my father talking to one of the other families. I start walking over to him, with Four right behind me. When my dad sees us he finishes up his conversation and turns to us. Immediately Four salutes him, and my dad returns the gesture, but follows up by shaking his hand.

"Hello, sir. My name is Four Eaton," he begins, but my father cuts him off.

"I've heard a lot of great things about you Four. Both from your commanding officer overseas and from my daughter."

"Thank you, sir." I'm used to see soldiers speak to my father this way, but knowing this is the guy I've been talking to for the past month or so, it seems weird in this context.

"I'm very happy to see your entire team has made it back safely. You should be very proud of the work you boys did."

"Thank you, sir. It's been an honor to serve with that team." Four is still standing at attention, speaking very formally.

"At ease, soldier. And you can stop with the 'sir'. This is just some informal chit chat. It seems you've caught the eye of my daughter and I can tell you, that's not an easy thing to do. "

"I sure hope so, sir," he says. His stance is much more relaxed, but he can't seem to drop the "sir". "I was hoping I could have your permission to take your daughter out for dinner, sir, if she would like to join me."

My father grins at me. "Well Beatrice, certainly doesn't need my permission, so that's up to her, but I appreciate you asking me."

Four looks at me hopefully, waiting for my answer. I'm still rendered somewhat speechless, watching my dad talk to the boy I've fallen for through emails, but I manage to get out one word.

"Yes."


	6. Chapter 6

"You know, it's pretty lame that you're driving me around for our first date," Four says with a frown on his face. I can't help but laugh as he pouts from the passenger seat. It's strange to think we only met face to face a few hours ago, we're acting like we've know each other for much longer.

"Who said anything about a date? I thought we were just going out for dinner," I tease. Technically he never did say it was a date, but I'm sure hoping.

As we head towards Wilmington the conversation never lulls, but it stays light and friendly. Four didn't even realize where we were going until we pull into Cook Out, but once he does his eyes widen and a big smile comes across his face.

"You remembered?" he asks, seeming in awe.

"Of course. I remember all your emails. What would you like?" I ask as I pull up to the drive through.

We order our food, and get back on the road. "So where are you taking me to eat this food? If we don't stop soon I'm not going to be able to wait very long to eat this. I can't even tell you how much I've been craving their burgers and hush puppies," he tells me.

"I figured I'd take you to my favorite spot on campus since we're so close," I tell him as we pull into the University of North Carolina campus. I drive to my favorite spot, a lawn surrounded by trees, many of them with their fall leaves still on. "You grab the food and shakes, I'll grab the blanket," I tell him as we park."

"Yes ma'am," he says with a smile.

I grab the blanket from the trunk of my jeep and I lead him towards a spot by a big tree that we can lean against. I sneak a peak at him only to see he's doing the same to me. He blushes, getting caught, but then tentatively grabs my hand. My heart feels like it's going to beat through my chest as I lace our fingers together. We suddenly are walking slower, as if we both want to hold onto this moment for a little bit longer.

"Ok, right here," I tell him, my voice barely working. He takes the blanket from me and spreads it out, waiting for me to sit before he does. We put out all the food and I can see he's dying to dig in, but is being too polite to do so.

"Just go for it, Four." He takes a bite and I can't help but laugh when I see the look on his face, he looks like he's in heaven.

"Oh my God, I can't even tell you how good this is. Best first date ever," he tells me.

"I thought we talked about this already, I don't remember anything about this being a date. Then again you insisted on paying... "

"Hmm... You're right. I should be the one to take you out for our first date, and of course I was going to pay, even if it's not a date. You got me through some tough days, paying for your lunch is the least I could do."

His words catch me off guard. My dad always tells me how important those letters are, but I guess I never really thought about it. I don't really know how to respond to that statement so I just hold his hand for a minute, enjoying the sensation of my stomach feeling like it's doing loops.

"So, when do I get to hear your real name?" I ask, wanting to hear his voice again.

"Ask me why I joined the Marines first," he says with a serious look on his face.

"Ok, why did you join the Marines?"

He takes a deep breath before beginning. "Do me a favor and don't say anything until I'm done. I've never told anyone this stuff before, and I'm afraid that if you say anything I might not be able to continue. Ok?"

"Of course, but you know, you don't have to tell me this stuff now if you'd rather not. I didn't mean to bring down the mood."

"No, I want to. I really want you to know me, the real me. Just promise you won't say anything."

"I promise."

He takes my hands and stares at them as he begins to speak. I get the idea that he can't look at me when he's saying this. "I joined the Marines to escape my father. My mom died when I was young so it was always just me and him. I had an extremely hard childhood, I was punished frequently and harshly and I have the scars to prove it." He takes a deep breath before continuing. I'm glad he's not looking at me, I can't keep the shock off my face.

"My father claimed he was always trying to make me a better person. I told you in an email he was my football coach, well if I didn't perform well in a game I had to deal with it at home. When the Marines came to visit our school I couldn't help but think that joining would be the perfect escape, so I signed up the day after graduation. When I started boot camp, I decided to shed my old identity, so when they started calling me Four I just went with it. I wanted to forget my past and who I was."

He stops talking for a moment and I'm wondering if I should talk yet, but he continues. "My name is Tobias," he says looking defeated.

"Nice to meet you, Tobias," I say with a smile trying to cheer him up, but he still looks dejected. "What's wrong?" I ask.

"One of my biggest regrets is joining the Marines," he says sadly.

"How can you say that? You're amazing! My dad has said a few times that you've got a great reputation."

"Amazing, huh?" he says smiling, but then his shoulders slump. "They are the bravest group of people I've ever met, and I'm nothing but a coward who used the military to run away from my fears. I'm not worthy of the uniform."

"Tobias," I start, and I see him smirk. "You left everything and everyone you knew to join a branch of the military, and you not only survived, you excelled. I promise you, you're no coward."

He moves his hand to cradle my cheek and I feel my heart rate increase. "I never thought I'd have to thank Zeke for passing my information to a girl, but I have to admit, he was right. By the way, I really like when you say my name."

"I really like saying it, I appreciate that you told me so much about yourself. You really have never told anyone about your father?" I asked, surprised that he'd reveal this much to only me.

"Nope, you're the one and only. I have to admit, I feel better after telling you, I wasn't sure I would. I was afraid you'd see me differently." He seems to be studying me, like he's trying to see how I'm feeling about all this information.

"The only thing that changed for me is what name I should call you," I say with a smile. He looks so completely relieved and relaxed now, I lean into him and he puts his arms around me. We sit like that for a few minutes, both of us seemingly unwilling to move, but its starting to get dark and colder.

"I'm sorry Tobias, I'm having a wonderful time, but I've got class tomorrow so I really need to get back home."

"Of course. What time do you get done with class tomorrow? I'm dying to take you out on a first date, if you'll go with me. "

"I'm done early tomorrow actually, I'm usually back around 1."

"Great, I'll pick you up around 1:30 then, is that ok?"

"Yes, definitely," I say with a smile.

As we walk back to the car, Tobias grabs my hand and stops me, turning me to face him. "You know Tris, I'm dying to kiss you, but I wouldn't dream of asking you before we've even had a date. You just don't seem like that type of girl," he says smirking.

"You're right, I'm not. However this one time, maybe I'll make a slight exception," I say leaning in just to give him a kiss on the cheek. It's slow, and I linger there for a moment hearing him sigh, and I pull back to meet his eyes.

"That's all you're going to get for now though, soldier," I say unable to hide a smile. Luckily he smiles back at me too.

"Don't worry, that will definitely hold me over until tomorrow."


	7. Chapter 7

It's late but I can't sleep. I just keep replaying today over and over again. If someone told me that I was going to meet a guy for the first time, spend the day with him and give him a kiss on the cheek before going home I would have said they were crazy. But today really happened, and it was amazing.

I decide to go the kitchen to get a glass of milk and I'm surprised to see my dad there too. He's looking at his laptop with a worried look on his face.

"What's wrong Dad?" He must have been very into what he was reading because he jumped when I started talking.

"Nothing sweetie, just looking over some stuff for work. How was your day with Four?" he asks with a knowing look.

"You sure you wanna talk boys with me, Dad?" I ask, laughing.

"Well I'd rather you become a nun, but seeing as that's not going to happen, I want to know what's going on in your life. Just spare me the gory details."

"He was a perfect gentleman. He bought me lunch, we ate it on the lawn of UNCW, I gave him a kiss on the cheek..." I say this purposely to get a rise out of him.

"Nope, nope, nope... Stop right there," he interrupts me. "I don't want to hear any more."

"Oh Dad. You do realize I'm almost 21, right?"

"I've been blissfully ignoring that fact, thank you very much. You sure you don't want to be a nun?"

I can't answer him because I'm laughing so hard. I know he's just teasing me, and I'm pretty sure it's because he's trying to get my attention off of whatever I walked in on him doing. I give him a kiss on the cheek, I say goodnight then I go back to my room, still laughing.

I lay down again in bed, nervous for tomorrow. I have never been on a real date before. Moving around during my high school years and having a Marine as a father sort of kills your chances for romance. I grew up around strong men, so the guys my friends were interested in, just didn't hold my interest at all.

Tobias is really the first guy that's made me feel this way, and I'm glad my dad seems to approve. I lay there trying to figure out what his plans are for tomorrow, but at some point I drifted off to sleep still dreaming about Tobias.

I don't think I've ever woken up so excited on a Monday. Granted I like my intro to anatomy class, but that doesn't mean I'm usually excited to wake up for it.

I get up, get ready for the day and start the hour drive to school. I meet Christina as usual by the coffee stand before class and I can see her practically vibrating because she's so excited.

"Hi Chri..." I begin.

"TELL ME EVERYTHING!" she shouts at me.

"There's not much to tell. We went out for lunch, ate it here on lawn then we went back home."

"Did you kiss?"

"I gave him a kiss on the cheek," I tell her shyly. I've never been very good at girl talk, I always end up getting so embarrassed.

"I kinda want to rolls my eyes, but I know for _you_ that's a big step. Do you have plans for a second date?"

I hesitate for a second, "Well... Technically we haven't had our first date yet. He says he should be the one to take me out, not vice versa."

"Hmm... I think I'm going to like this guy. What's your dad think of him?"

"He says he's an extraordinary soldier. To him, that's the highest praise he could give someone. They seemed to get along when they met."

"Any idea where he's taking you today?" she asks as we continue walking to class, drinking our coffee.

"Nope, not a clue. I just know he's picking me up after I get home." By now we're in the class, waiting for the professor to start.

"Just promise me you'll kiss him for real this time," she says but I ignore her as I try to listen to the professor talk about the pathway of blood through the heart.

Right atrium, right ventricle, pulmonary arteries, lungs...

"Oh, you know what you should do? Invite him to Thanksgiving dinner," she says. I keep ignoring her, but that's not a bad idea.

Pulmonary veins, left atrium, left ventricle, aorta, through the body back through the superior and inferior venae cavae into the right atrium again...

"Seriously Tris, you can't ignore me forever," she says with a scowl on her face.

The four valves are the bicuspid, tricuspid, aortic semilunar and pulmonary semilunar...

When she throws her pencil at me, I decide I better answer her before she creates a scene.

"Fine, I'll ask him for Thanksgiving, but I need to ask my dad first. I'm sure he won't mind though, he knows Four doesn't have any family." I make sure to use Tobias' nickname, unsure of who he'd want aware of his real name.

"That's my girl!"

She leaves me alone for the rest of the lecture, which turns out to be extremely interesting. Luckily the class goes by very quickly and I'm on my way home before I know it.

I'm not surprised to see my dad when I pull up, he often comes home for lunch, so I figure this is as good a time as any to ask about Tobias coming for Thanksgiving.

"Hey sweetie," my dad says looking up from his sandwich.

"Hi Dad," I answer, trying to figure out how to bring up Thanksgiving.

"Learn anything good today?"

"We learned about the anatomy of the heart, it was interesting." I take a deep breath, "Hey Dad, I have a question."

"What's up?" He puts down his sandwich and gives me his full attention.

"I was wondering if you think we could invite Four for Thanksgiving. He doesn't have any family, and I don't want him to be alone." He's usually extremely sympathetic towards Marines without family, but then again I'm his only daughter so I don't know what's going through his mind. He looks at me as he tries to decide his answer.

"Sure Beatrice. It'll be nice to have another person for dinner. Just make sure you have plenty of your stuffing, you know how I love leftovers," he says as he winks at me.

"Thanks, Dad. I better get ready, he's picking me up soon. Will you be ok for dinner?"

"You spoil me, I'll be fine."

I give my dad a kiss on the cheek and head to my room to get ready for my first date.

 **A/N - I love the reviews, keep them up please! Also, I teach high school anatomy and I find the heart fascinating, so I had to throw that in ;-)**


	8. Chapter 8

Tobias pulls up in his truck and I'm about to run out when my dad stops me.

"A real gentleman will come up to the door to get you."

I scowl at my dad, but when I look out the window I see he's already parked and is walking towards the door.

"Hmm, I might really like this guy, Beatrice. Just promise me you'll be careful."

"I will Dad, stop worrying," I say just as the doorbell rings.

"Worrying about you is my job," he says as he opens the door.

"Hello, sir," Tobias says, unfazed by the fact my dad answered the door.

"I thought I told you that you didn't need to be so formal," my dad says.

"I wasn't trying to be formal, just polite. I need you to like me if there's any hope of Tris liking me. Anyone can see how much she respects you and values your opinion." I'm floored listening to the two of them. I didn't think guys my age actually still spoke like this.

My dad looks at me with his eyebrows raised in shock, apparently he's not use to guys talking like this either. I don't think I've ever seen my father at a loss for words. It takes him a moment to compose himself for a response.

"I'm really trying not to like you, but you're making it very hard." He still has a look of disbelief on his face when saying this, despite the joking. "Well, I better get back to work. Have a good time today." He seems to come back to his senses, "Beatrice, remember what I said."

I give my dad a kiss on the cheek, Tobias shakes his hand and we head to Tobias' truck. He holds the door open for me and I get in.

"You don't have to act like that, you know," I say once he joins me on the other side and he looks hurt for a moment.

"I wasn't trying to act, it was how I was raised. With everything I told you about my dad, do you really think he'd tolerate me behaving otherwise?"

"I'm sorry, I've just never met a guy like you before. I'm not used to it."

"It's not a problem, you'll just have to get used it," he says throwing me a quick smile. I'm glad to see he doesn't appear to be angry with me.

"So where are we going today?" I ask as we head off base.

"I've got a couple things planned for us. If at any point it's something you don't like, just tell me, ok?"

"Yep, though I'm pretty easy going so I'm sure I'll enjoy it. How long till our first stop?"

"Probably about 45 minutes. Nothing is close around here," he says with a chuckle.

"So... Since we have time, you want to get some of the awkward stuff out of the way?" It's weird, it's like I simultaneously know nothing about him, but I know everything about him at the same time which is why I'm ok bringing this up. Though who knows how he feels about it.

"The awkward stuff, huh?"

"Well, I feel close to you because of all of our emails so I don't mind being open with you, but there's some things I'm curious about," I admit shyly. I know it's probably too early to talk about this stuff, but I want him to know how inexperienced I am. I'm scared about rushing things and I feel like he should know that right away, in case he has other expectations.

"Like what?" he grins at me. I'm getting the feeling he knows exactly what I'm talking about, but he's enjoying teasing me. I decide rather than ask him about his past relationships, I'll just tell him about mine.

"I've never really had a boyfriend," I say while staring at my hands, embarrassed. Christina loves to tease me about this. "I moved around a lot during high school, so I had a hard enough time making friends, much less actually getting a boy to like me."

"What about now that you're in college?"

"I just never met anyone that interested me." I wait to see what he's going to say, nervous for a response.

"I've never had a serious girlfriend. There were a couple of girls I 'dated', but none that actually meant anything to me. My dad wanted me to fit in with the rest of the football team so that often meant going places with a cheerleader at my side."

Seeing him now, I wouldn't picture him as the date-the-cheerleaders type of guy, but obviously he was. It makes me nervous to think that he must have much more experience than I do. I know what the guys on the football team were like, but I'm surprised because he doesn't seem to fit the stereotype. I guess I was wrong. The important thing is to not think about it, he's obviously a different person now from the guy he was 5 years ago.

I don't really have anything to say, so I just nod, anxious to move past this topic. We ride in silence for a few minutes and I feel guilty knowing that I'm the one that started the conversation, though I don't regret bringing it up. It was a discussion that needed to be had and I'm glad it's out of the way.

"You're awfully quiet Tris," he says looking apprehensive.

"I'm just thinking about where we could be going."

"I can tell when you're lying, you know. You can tell me the truth, I swear I'm a nice guy." He looks at me and smiles and I feel like I melt. I decide I should just be honest.

"Fine, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed that you were the stereotypical jock. The whole idea of dating someone is very new to me so I'm not sure why you'd be interested in me when there's other girls out there like the cheerleaders you dated in high school. " He looks a bit confused for a minute, and maybe even a little hurt.

"I don't really know what you think I've done in the past, but this is all new to me too. Any girl I would have been interested in I stayed far away from. I never would have wanted to drag any decent girl into the life I had at home. Once I came here I was too focused on training to notice anyone. You're the first girl I've ever felt this way about." He takes my hand as he says this, and I squeeze his in return. We sit in silence again, but this time it's a comfortable one and I'm focusing on the feeling of his warm, calloused hand in mine.

"So are we good now, Tris?"

I look up and him and smile, nodding in agreement that we are most definitely good.

"That's good to hear, because we're at our first stop," he says with a big grin on his face. I'm shocked, and pleasantly surprised, to see where he brought me, and I can't help but return his grin.

 _Paintball_


	9. Chapter 9

Tobias and I gear up and I can't hide the smile on my face, this is going to be a lot of fun.

"Have you ever done this before?" he asks me.

"Nope," I say, trying my hardest to contain my smile. It's not technically a lie, I've never done paintball like this before. Considering how cocky he looks at the moment I feel that's a piece of information he doesn't need at the moment.

"This is one of my favorite things to do, so I thought you might enjoy it too. The padding will keep you from getting the huge welts from the paintball gun, so you don't need to worry," he explains.

"What about you? Don't you want padding too?"

"I'll be ok, even if you hit me its nothing I haven't dealt with before. I'll give you a 2 minute head start to go hide."

"Don't do me any favors, soldier," I say smirking.

"It's not a favor, just how you play the game. Go hide, I'm sure I'll be seeing you soon," he says with a wicked grin. He's obviously quite confident in his abilities, as he should be. However I'm confident too. I'm hoping the fact that he's underestimating me will be his undoing. That's the only hope I have of winning this game.

I run off into the playing field and try to figure out where to hide. I decide to climb, figuring that he won't be looking for me up high since I'm so short. I don't know if the structures are specifically meant for climbing, but there's nothing in the rules about it that I saw.

I'm smiling the entire time I'm climbing, thinking of the strategies my dad has taught me many times. Him and I have gone shooting more times than I can remember. He made sure from an early age that I knew how to handle a gun, so a paintball gun is nothing. I probably should feel a little guilty, knowing that I'm basically hustling Tobias, but I know my dad said I should always keep this talent hidden up my sleeve.

I get settled just in time to see him approach. He never even sees the shot coming when I hit him right in the chest. The second shot would have hit him right between the eyes if weren't for the helmet. I hear him swear under his breath, but he's laughing too. He has to take off the helmet to clean off the paint which gives me enough time to get out of my hiding spot and find a new one without getting hit.

The game continues for a half hour before the timer goes off and we have to leave the playing area. I can't help but laugh when I see him covered in paint. He got me a few times too, but there is a clear winner. I guess this time my small size worked to my advantage.

He pulls me into a hug and I can feel his laughter rumbling in his chest. It's nice to know he's not upset by this.

"Talk about taking a hit to the ego. Not to sound cocky, but how in the heck did you do that?" he asks me.

"Do you really think my dad didn't teach me how to shoot? I thought Marines are supposed to be intelligent. I guess you shouldn't have underestimated me."

"But you said you hadn't done this before, I figured you'd be an easy target! Good thing I'm not s sore loser." He's still holding me against him, but he brings his lips down to give me a slow kiss on the cheek and I can feel goosebumps running down my arm .

"It looks like you got hustled, soldier," I say a little breathless. "You're not mad, are you?"

"No, I am most definitely not mad. I got what I deserved for underestimating you, I'll be sure to never do it again." We're still standing so close to each other and I can feel the impulse to lean in and push my lips to his, but he pulls back a little.

"You're a hard one to resist, but I don't want our first kiss to be right after you kicked my butt at paintball." I can tell he's teasing, I can see it in his eyes how much he wants to kiss me too, but I decide to pull away. I take a few steps, fully aware that I'm playing hard-to-get. I get to enjoy the look of disappointment in his eyes as I increase the distance between us. It's nice to know the effect I seem to have on him.

"Wait Tris, I was kidding!"

"Oh I know," I say laughing. "But I wouldn't want to hurt your ego even more. I mean, I'm the one that took you out first after you got home, I just kicked your butt at paintball and now I was going to lean in first for the first kiss? I don't think you should be humiliated like that." I walk back towards him and take his hands, looking him in the eye.

"So basically you're telling me to man up and just kiss you?" he says breathlessly. I'm completely enthralled, unable to speak so I just nod. He lets go of my hands and gently cradles my face before slowly leaning in. When his lips gently touch mine I can feel my heartbeat go into double time. He doesn't take it further than the gentle pressure of his lips on mine, and I'm extremely grateful for that.

This isn't the first time I kissed a guy, but it's the first time I felt like this about the guy I was kissing. The difference is astounding. I can feel butterflies in my stomach, my legs feel weak and my hands are shaking.

We pull away and he rests his forehead against mine. We stay like that for a few moments, sharing each other's air. I look up at him and I can see his cheeks are flushed and he's grinning like an idiot but I know my face must mirror his. I can't help but wonder if this is what falling in love feels like.

I sure hope so.


	10. Chapter 10

Tobias and I are headed back towards base and the atmosphere in the truck is so much lighter than it was on the way to the paintball range. Every once and a while he'll kiss my hand or press his lips to my hair, seeming eager to be touching me in some way but content with the innocence of that touch. He not only seems to respect they fact that I want to take things slow, but he seems to feel the same way. I've never met someone like him before.

"So are you ready for the second part of this date?" he asks me.

"Yes absolutely. By any chance does it involve food, because I'm getting kind of hungry."

"As a matter of fact it does. I actually have a cooler packed in the back with our dinner, I figured we could have a picnic on the beach since it's so nice today. I'm not used to weather in the 60's three days before Thanksgiving. In Chicago we've had snow for Thanksgiving."

"Speaking of Thanksgiving, do you have any plans?" I figure since he brought it up anyway now was as good a time as any to ask him for dinner.

"Not really, Zeke's family asked me, but I hadn't committed yet. I don't want to feel like I'm intruding."

"Oh, well I can understand if you'd rather go to Zeke's, but I wanted to invite you to our house for dinner," I say shyly, unsure of if he'd want to come.

He seems to consider his response for a moment. "I don't want to intrude on your dinner either. Does your father know you were going to ask me?"

"You wouldn't be intruding, I want you there. And my dad already said it was ok as long as I make enough food," I say laughing.

"Then I'd love to go, but only if you let me help you cook."

"You don't need to do that, I start cooking the day before."

"Even better, then I know that I can see you Wednesday too. I have a couple days leave so I don't need to report to work till after the holiday." I have to admit, the idea spending so much time with Tobias for the next few days excited me. We're just pulling up to the beach and he rushes out of the car to get the door for me.

"You really don't have to do that, you know."

"I know I don't have to, but I was raised like this." We're walking to the beach hand in hand with Tobias carrying the cooler and blanket.

"You keep telling me you were raised to be a polite gentleman, but you told me some horrible stories about your dad too. It seems strange to me." I don't want to sound like I'm accusing him of anything, but those two pieces of information don't really add up to me. We lay out the blanket and sit before he starts to speak.

"My father was a horrible human being, but my mom and I were the only ones that ever saw him that way. He was well respected within the community and he expected me to act in a way that deemed respect as well. Even if I don't believe in the way my father treated me, I liked how others treated my father. The person my dad was in public is the person I try to be, the difference between him and I was that for him, it was all an act. For me, I truly believe in being polite to others and I will always treat a woman with the respect she deserves."

"Would you mind if I asked what happened to your mom? Mine died from cancer when I was young." I figure if I offer some information about myself it wouldn't seem like I was prying into his business.

"I have no idea, I was never told. I was only four at the time. I remember my mom getting sick, it was the only time I ever saw my dad act like he cared about her. She was quickly getting weaker and my dad did everything to help her. Unfortunately that meant that I took the brunt of his anger. She must have passed away in her sleep because I said goodnight to her one evening, and the next day she was gone. It's the only time I can ever remember my father hugging me because I was crying so hard." He's staring out at water, his mind somewhere else other than here. I grab his hand not because I pity him, but just to let him know I'm here for him.

He blinks and seems to come back to the present. He looks down at our intertwined fingers and smiles at me then pulls me in for a hug. We sit like that for a few moments until my stomach grumbles and he starts laughing.

"Wow, I guess I can really kill a mood," I say embarrassed. He's still laughing as he pulls the food out of the cooler, a variety of sandwiches, chips, grapes and water.

"I was too nervous to eat breakfast this morning" I admit as I take a few grapes.

"Yea? Why was that?"

"I don't know what your expectations are," I admit.

"Well then let me tell you what my expectations are." I get nervous as he kneels next to me.

"I expect you to let me treat you well. I expect you to let me pay for you when we're out. I expect you to believe me when I tell you how beautiful you are. I expect you to be honest with me if I'm doing something you don't like. My hopes on the other hand, that's a different story. I hope you'll let me hold your hand. I hope you'll let me hug you. I hope you'll let me kiss you. I hope one day you'll tell me you love me," I can see how much emotion he's pouring into these words. I can't believe he's for real, I've never met a guy that acted like this before. I am completely speechless. He must sense that I don't know what to say so he continues.

"Tris, I'm sorry if this is all so sudden of me but I swear I'm not going anywhere. I've never met anyone like you before, and I'm not going to screw this up. I had some very hard days over there, knowing that I was going to hear from you each night was the one thing keeping me going."

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say. That was the sweetest thing anyone has said to me before, I didn't think guys said things like that."

He grabs my hands, an almost desperate look on his face. "I don't care what other guys say. This is what's in my heart and you need to know this stuff. I'm not trying to scare you away, I just can't reiterate how important having someone at home waiting for you is after the horrible things I've seen."

"You're not scaring me Tobias, I'm just not used to hearing someone say things like that, especially directed at me. This is all very new to me." I put my hand on his cheek and I feel him lean into my touch. I shift so I'm sitting on his lap and I push my lips against his. This time it's a bit more intense, his arms wrapped around me, but it's still sweet.

I don't know how long we sit on the beach, kissing each other with the waves crashing in the background, but it's definitely not long enough.


	11. Chapter 11

I wake up Tuesday morning with a definite skip in my step. When I come downstairs my dad is smiling at me, but I swear I can see worry in his eyes too.

"Hi Dad," I say smiling.

"Hi sweetheart. Did you have fun yesterday?"

"I did. I totally hustled him at paintball. I almost feel bad for destroying him in our game, he thought I was going to be an easy target." I can't help but smile at the memory of how he looked covered in paint. My dad actually bursts out laughing.

"Oh honey, you better not have shattered that boy's ego. I don't want him being too scared to hold a gun."

"The way I see it, he slipped up not thinking you'd teach me to shoot. He definitely won't underestimate me again."

"Oh I'm sure he won't. Is he coming over for Thanksgiving?"

"He's actually going to come over Wednesday to help cook. He's got some kind of last minute meeting today so I won't be able to see him. He just found out about it this morning"

There's no mistaking it. My dad definitely has a worried look now. He knows something and I know better than to think he's going to tell me. He tries to play it off by making a joke.

"Well as long as he doesn't screw up the turkey. I've got to get to work, I'll see you later. How about we order Chinese food tonight? You always go overboard with Thanksgiving cooking, why don't we take it easy tonight?"

"You don't like Chinese food. What are you hiding from me?" He tries to act shocked at this accusation, but he can't quite manage it. He always said I inherited my mother's ability to read people, and I can tell there's something big he's hiding from me. I have a feeling it has to do with Tobias, though I can't imagine what it is, but it makes me feel very uneasy.

"I just want to make sure I continue to be the number one man in your life. If that means I have to eat Chinese, then bring on the fried rice and egg rolls."

I can't help but laugh as my dad pulls me in for a hug. "I love you, Beatrice."

"I love you too, Dad." I can't stand the look in his eyes as he walks out the door, it's definitely a sign of bad things to come.

* * *

Twenty minutes later I'm on my way to school where I'm supposed to meet Christina, Marlene and Shawna. I enjoy the ride replaying yesterday's events through my mind. It's strange to see what Tobias is like under his tough Marine exterior. It's obvious he's had very little love in life, but he's got so much to give. He's full of raw emotion and I know how hard it must have been for him to show that to another person. I can't help but smile to think about how our relationship can evolve over time.

I pull into the parking lot just as the girls are getting out of Christina's car.

"Shauna, don't you usually drive yourself?" I ask.

"Well, I was hoping you wouldn't mind bringing me back onto base when you bring Marlene. I met Zeke yesterday, and I'm anxious to see him again."

"Of course! I didn't really get to meet him yet."

"That's because someone has been spending all of her free time with Number Boy," Christina says. I roll my eyes at her nickname for him, but I don't comment. It doesn't do any good anyway.

"So what's he like?" Marlene asks.

"He's really nice, we had an amazing time yesterday." A smile automatically appears as I think about our date.

"Come on, give us some details. Where did he take you?" Christina is always the one to pry for information.

"Well, we went paintballing then went and had a picnic on the beach."

"Paintballing? Really?" Christina asks.

"Yes. It was a lot of fun so don't mock it."

"Did you kiss?" Shauna asks. I can't get myself to answer, but I'm sure they can tell by the fact that I'm smiling and the flush rushing to my cheeks. My friends exchange knowing with each other seemingly happy with my response.

"I'm glad you seem so happy, Tris," Marlene adds.

"I am. He's coming for Thanksgiving and will be coming tomorrow to help cook."

"That's adorable!" Christina exclaims. By now we're sitting in class and the teacher walks in. At least I'm done with the Spanish Inquisition for now.

* * *

A few hours later and I'm heading back towards Jacksonville with Marlene and Shauna.

"So, your guys are going to date brothers, huh?" I have to tease them a little since they usually give me such a hard time.

"Zeke is actually really nice once he can stop goofing around. He's a lot like Uriah. And we're not technically dating."

"But you sure want to be," Marlene adds. Shauna stays silent as we pull into base and head towards the barracks where the Pedrad brothers live.

Zeke is exactly like Shauna describes. He's a lot like his brother, and you can see how infatuated the two of them are with each other. It makes me happy to see the she has gotten over Eric.

The five of us hang out for quite a while, and I think about how much I wish Tobias was here too. I consider texting him since he gave me his number, but I know he said the meeting could go until late. I end up staying later than planned since my dad texted me he wouldn't be home for dinner, but he promised we'd order Chinese tomorrow.

I get home around 11 and my dad is sitting at the kitchen table, with his head in his hands looking absolutely defeated.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Tris."

"But Dad, it's obvious that..."

"Beatrice," he interrupts. It's all he says, but it's enough to remind me that he can't always tell me what's going on with his job. I sigh and start to get ready to head to bed, a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Before I leave the kitchen I hear my phone go off and my mood immediately improves as I see its Tobias.

 **Tobias:** _hey Tris, I missed you today. What time should I come over tomorrow?_

My smile comes automatically and I look up to see my dad watching me carefully. I ignore him the best I can while I answer him back, but I can still feel his eyes on me.

 **Tris:** _you can come whenever. I'm up at 7 because I need to start the pie crusts early_.

 **Tobias:** _I'll see you at 7 then_

 **Tris:** _you don't need to come that early, you should catch up on some sleep_.

 **Tobias:** _yes I do. I need to have you in my arms again_.

I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, but I turn around too late to hide it from my dad.

"Who's that, Tris?" he asks. My phone goes off again.

 **Tobias:** _sorry if that was too much. It seems my filter doesn't work when I'm talking to you_.

 **Tris:** _it wasn't. I want to be in your arms too._

"Tris?" my dad asks again.

"It's Tobias. We were planning for tomorrow. He's coming in the morning to help me cook, around 7."

"He just got back from a 6 month tour, don't you think you should let the boy get some sleep?" My dad's attitude is really starting to get to me, he's never taken his frustrations at work out on me.

"I tried, he insisted on coming. I'm going to bed since I've got a long day tomorrow." I decide it's better to walk away before I end up getting angry at him. We very rarely argue with each other and I don't want to fight now.

"Beatrice, wait." He walks over to me and pulls me in for a hug. "I love you. You know that right?" I feel bad for him, whatever is going on at work it's definitely affecting him too. I know one thing I can say that will definitely make him smile.

"I love you too, Daddy." He pulls back and as expected, gives me a big smile.

"It's been a long time since you've called me that," he says.

"I figured you needed to hear it."

"Trust me, I do. Now go get some sleep." I hug him once more, and head to bed.

 **A/N I want to thank everyone for their kind reviews! The more you review the faster I post the next chapter! To the guest that commented that they wanted a little jealousy, I have to say, there won't be any in here but thank you so much for the suggestion! Like I had said before, this story is already written, I'm just making a few adjustments as I post and I never wrote any characters for jealousy to occur. However, there will be some drama coming so don't worry, it won't get boring :-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N all those nice reviews got you another chapter!**

I wake up bright and early and put on a pair of sweats and my favorite UNCW sweatshirt. I head downstairs and hear whispering, but I'm unable to understand what's being said. When I walk into the kitchen Tobias and my dad are sitting at the table drinking coffee. When they see me come in, Tobias greets me with a warm smile and a coffee for me.

"I brought you a pumpkin spice latte, I remember you saying they were your favorite in one of your emails." He keeps his distance while he speaks, but I'm not bothered by it since I know he's only doing it because of my dad watching us.

"I saw him sitting on our front stairs with three coffees when I was about to head out so I took pity on him and let him in," my dad says. "I'll let you guys get started. If you screw up my pies Four, I'm ensuring you get a dishonorable discharge."

"If you can't tell, my dad is extremely serious about his Thanksgiving dinner," I say.

"Damn straight. Never mess with a man's thanksgiving dinner. I'll see you guys later. We'll order Chinese, ok?"

"Thanks Dad." My dad gives us a smile and heads out.

"So now that we're alone, I seem to remember you wanted me somewhere?" I ask. I'm trying to sound confident, but the fear in my voice is definitely evident.

"Hmmm... That does seem to ring a bell. I think it was right about here, if that's ok with you," he says as he wraps his arms around me.

"Yep. That's definitely ok with me."

"Well, what about this? Is this ok?" he asks as he presses his lips to my cheek."

"Yep, that's ok too," I say a little breathlessly.

"How about this?" Now he's slowly kissing under my jaw and moving his lips down my neck. I can feel myself trembling.

"Mm-mmm," is all I can get out. I can feel his laughter rumble in his chest as he pulls away to look at me, but he then leans in so our lips are only inches away from each other.

"Can I kiss you? Would that be ok?"

I don't answer this time, instead I crush my lips to his. This isn't like our kisses from the other day, this is much more passion, the kind of kiss that isn't suitable for public. He picks me up and sits me on the counter so we're now at eye level. I tilt my head to deepen the kiss and I can hear him groan in response. I could probably do this all day long, but that would be counterproductive. Eventually I have to catch my breath so I pull away and lean my head against his. We stand there for a few moments, trying to slow our breathing.

"Tris... You're incredible, did you know that?"

I don't know how to answer, so I just kiss him lightly. "We need to start making the pie crusts. You think you can handle it?"

"I'll do my best to keep up."

The day goes by so quickly. Tobias actually seems to know what he's doing in the kitchen so the cooking is a little quicker than normal. It probably could have been a lot quicker if it wasn't for the fact that we'd pause every once and a while to exchange a kiss. We each seemed to crave contact from the other as much as possible, so we touched each other often whether it was holding hands or him caressing my cheek or a quick peck on the lips.

Each touch from Tobias made my heart skip a beat and the way he looked at me made my legs go weak. I was falling head over heels for this man and I've only known him a few days.

I scold myself for thinking that though, I knew him before I even met him. I knew he was a brave soldier who was well respected on this base. I knew he had a kind soul and he showed that to me through the things he told me in his emails. I knew he was the kind of man I could fall in love with. When we met it was like I already knew him, even if I didn't. Once I was able to reconcile the soldier from the emails with the man standing in front of me, I couldn't resist him if I tried.

Tobias and I are just pulling the pies out of the oven when my dad walks in. We were able to get the stuffing ready, peeled and boiled potatoes so they're ready to be mashed tomorrow. We got the sweet potato casserole ready to bake, pulled out the giblets to make stock for the gravy and got the turkey all ready to go in the oven first thing tomorrow.

"Nice job, kids, it smells fantastic in here," my dad says as he gives me a side-hug and shakes Tobias' hand. "How was your day?" It seems like he's directing this question at me but he seems to be giving Tobias a look.

"It was great dad. It was nice to have someone around that will actually _help_ me cook instead of just snacking on the stuff I'm making."

"Ouch, low blow, Beatrice. Way to wound your dad. I do help. I tell you how fantastic everything tastes so you know you're doing a good job."

I laugh at my dad, who I know is trying to tease me.

"You guys want some Chinese food? I promised Tris yesterday she could have it, but maybe if you said you didn't like it, Four, we could order something better. "

"I'm sorry, sir. I actually love Chinese food."

"Fine I guess I'm outnumbered, get the menu and I'll go pick up what you want.

About 45 minutes later we're sitting at the the table eating our food talking about random things before my dad suddenly decides to drop a bomb.

"So did you tell Tris about how you'll be traveling after the holiday?" The atmosphere in the room drops 30 degrees. You can see Tobias is working hard to maintain a respectful demeanor around my father. The way they're looking at each other it's obvious my dad doesn't mean Tobias is going on vacation.

"What do you mean? You just got home. They aren't supposed to send you out again for at least a year." I look at my dad hoping for some type of explanation. This is obviously what's been bothering him.

"It's no big deal Tris. I was waiting till after dinner tomorrow so you could enjoy the holiday." I see him throw a look at my dad, but my dad just looks back at him unashamed of what he did. "I just need to travel back for a week or two to finish up something that I started. I'll be back in plenty of time for Christmas."

"Is it dangerous?" I feel sick to my stomach at the thought.

"Well, anytime you go over it can be dangerous, but I've been trained by the best and I'm not worried in the slightest." I look for any signs that he's lying and I'm glad to say I don't see any.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tris, let's talk about it tomorrow. I really want to spend a nice holiday with you and your dad. I've never had one before."

We finish our meal mostly in silence and I notice my dad and Tobias exchanging looks every once in a while. He and I watch TV for a bit, cuddled on the couch before Tobias goes home for the night. He insisted on coming early again tomorrow to help get the turkey in the oven.

When I go to bed that night I have a swirl of emotions going through me. The day with Tobias was amazing. I loved our date on Monday, but today we just got to be ourselves and that was spectacular. I'm a little sad to hear that he's got to leave for two weeks, but it's a huge comfort to know its not for anything too dangerous. I fall to sleep thinking about the near future with Tobias with a big smile on my face.


	13. Chapter 13

I wake up very early Thanksgiving morning with the intention of putting the turkey in the oven and going back to bed for an hour or two. As I'm preheating the oven though, I'm surprised to hear a soft knock at the kitchen door. I go to answer it and I'm shocked to see Tobias there, coffee in one hand an a bouquet of autumn colored flowers in the other hand.

"What are you doing here already?"

"It turns out I've fallen rather hard for you, I couldn't wait to see you today." I blush at his words, stunned into silence.

"Do you mind that I'm here? I can leave for a bit if you want to go back to bed," he tells me.

"No!" I answer a bit too quickly, but I see him smile at my reaction. "Why don't we just go sit on the couch and rest for a bit?" I suggest.

"Your wish is my command," he says with a dramatic bow. I giggle at his theatrics and grab his hand pulling him to the living room. He sits first and pulls me on his lap, holding me tightly.

"So are you going to tell me when you're leaving now?" I ask.

"Nope, I'm far too comfortable and I think I'm going to fall asleep just like this," he says as hugs me tighter. To be honest I feel like I can fall asleep too, but not before I give him a slow, sweet kiss. The kiss lingers for a few moments before I lean my head on his shoulder and breathe in his scent. I can feel myself drifting off in his embrace and it isn't long before I fall into a deep sleep in the comfort of his arms.

* * *

I wake up later, a little confused as to where I am. When I get my bearings I can see that I'm still in Tobias' arms and he's sound asleep. The clock says it's now just after 9:00 which means I need to get up and check the turkey. We have been asleep for almost 3 hours.

I try my best not to disturb him, but as soon as I shift his arms seem to automatically tighten around me. He wakes up very alert, a trait that seems common with most Marines.

"You can stay here and rest, I just need to check the turkey and get those beautiful flowers you brought me in water," I say.

"Not a chance, I'm here to help," he says.

"Well you did just help me get a very solid 3 hours of sleep. I'm not sure if I've ever slept that soundly before."

"You have no idea. I can get used to waking up with you in my arms," he says. "Come on, let's check this turkey."

We go to the kitchen, and I can see my dad is already up and having coffee. The way he looks at me, he definitely saw us on the couch and I feel slightly embarrassed, even though I did nothing wrong. Having a boy around the house is very new to the both of us.

"Turkey smells good, honey," my dad says. I think he's trying to break the ice a bit.

"Thanks dad. Happy Thanksgiving," I say.

"You too, and Happy Thanksgiving, Four."

"Thank you, sir," Tobias says, shaking my dad's hand. "I'm looking forward to dinner today. It's been a long time since I've gotten a home-cooked meal for Thanksgiving."

"We're glad you can be here. I know Tris is sure glad to have you here, aren't you sweetheart?" I just roll my eyes at my dad's teasing, but deep down I'm happy he is trying to be cool with his only daughter dating. I'm guessing no matter how old you get, it's never easy for a dad to see his daughter with another man. There's a reason they have the saying "daddy's little girl".

"All right, unless you're going to help I want you out of my kitchen," I say to the both of them.

"Well that's my cue to leave," my dad says. "Four, why don't you come join me?"

"I was going to help Tris cook, sir."

"Just for a few minutes, I just want to talk to you quickly." It's funny how quickly a brave Marine can look scared under the scrutiny of his girlfriend's father. "Tris, you stay here and no eavesdropping," my dad tells me.

"Only if you promise to be nice. Can you promise that?"

"Nope, but I'll do my best," he says as he winks. "Come on Four." Tobias follows him out of the room and I start getting stuff together for dinner. I'm obviously wondering what they're talking about, but I stay away. Tobias is only gone for about 5 minutes before he returns.

"Was he nice to you?" I ask, nervous for the answer.

"He was fine, he's just worried about you. Now what can I do to help?"

Tobias and I spend the rest of the morning in the kitchen. I call my dad to set the table and around 1:00 we're ready to eat. Everyone sits at the table and my dad says grace.

"Heavenly Father, we thank you for this meal we're about to eat and especially for the people that we are sharing it with. We pray that you keep watch over the armed forces that cannot be home with their families and friends and that you keep them safe. Amen."

"Amen," Tobias and I say together.

"I think you outdid yourself this year, Beatrice. This looks amazing," my dad says.

"Thanks, but Tobias helped a lot. I didn't know there were men capable of helping in the kitchen. It's something I've never experienced before," I tease my dad.

"Hey, you never starved!"

"Only because I learned to cook by the age of 10." I look at Tobias and I can see him looking at us with a small, sad smile on his face. "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to leave you out of the conversation."

"No, don't be. Its nice to witness a normal family holiday. Now I've got some entertainment to go along with this amazing food. I'm so glad you invited me today."

"We're very happy that you could be here with us. It's nice having someone else here for a holiday," my dad says. "Even if that means that I need to share."

"Do you mean the food or me?" I ask.

"All of the above," he answers. Dinner goes by with polite conversation and I'm happy to see that Tobias seems to be fitting in with me and my dad's banter. After we finish dinner and dessert my dad shoos us out so he can clean up. That's usually our agreement, I'll cook and he'll clean.

"I can help you with the dishes, sir," Tobias offers.

"Nope the deal is if you cook, you don't have to clean," my dad tells him.

"Is it ok with you if I take her out for a bit?" Tobias asks.

"As long as she's ok with it, it's fine by me. I know you guys have some things to talk about," my dad says with a knowing look at Tobias.

"Do you want to go to the beach for a bit?" Tobias asks me.

"Sure, just let me get my coat."

About twenty minutes later we're sitting on the beach. Tobias is sitting behind me with his arms wrapped around me as I lean into him. I know why he's brought me out here and I'm anxious to just get the conversation over with.

"All right, just spit it out, I'm ready," I tell him. I feel him take a deep breath as his arms wrap tighter around me.

"I'm leaving tomorrow, Tris." I knew it had to be soon if he was figuring he'll be home for Christmas, but I wasn't expecting it to be tomorrow. I pull myself out of his arms so I can turn and face him.

"Tomorrow? But you're not even supposed to go again. Deployed soldiers always have leave after they come home. Why does it need to be you?" I ask, desperate to see if there's a way to keep him here, even thought I know it's pointless.

"Its related to what I was already doing there, and I'm the one trained to do it. Originally the mission wasn't supposed to happen until next summer, but plans have changed. I won't be there long, I promise to be home to you by Christmas."

"You and I both know you can't promise that, no matter how much I wish it was true," I say sadly.

"Beatrice, I will do everything in my power to be here for Christmas with you. I don't want you worrying about it. What I'm doing over there is no big deal. The only reason I'm going is because I'm the one that started it, so I really want to be the one to see it through to the end. The sooner I go, the sooner I can come back."

I nod my head and lay myself back in his arms.

"Can we still email?"

"I'm sorry, but no. I won't be on the normal base there. As soon as the mission is over, I'll write to you so be expecting my letter. I'll be home soon after that, ok?"

"Ok... What time are you leaving?"

"Very early. I need to be by my plane at 3:00 AM."

"Will you stay with me until then?" I ask.

"There's nowhere I'd rather be. I've already dropped my stuff off."

Tobias and I stay at the beach for quite a while. Sometimes laying in silence, other times just chitchatting about nothing in particular. We head back to my house and see that my dad has already went to bed, so we sit together on the couch just holding each other watching our time together tick by.

Around 2:30 in the morning, he gets up and gets ready to leave.

"Wait! Can I give you something first?" I ask.

"Of course," he says.

I take off my necklace which contains my mother's cross. She had given it to my father when he went overseas. I take off his dog tags and add the cross before putting them back on. Tobias doesn't say anything, but just watches everything I'm doing.

"This was my mom's cross. My dad wore it when he was deployed and it brought him safely home, I'm expecting it will do the same for you."

"Thank you, Tris," he says as he holds me tightly. "I'm so sorry, I have to go. You'll be getting my letter soon, ok?"

"Mm-hmm." I can feel the tears starting to roll down my cheeks.

"Don't cry, Tris. I'll be back before you know it. Can I have one more kiss before I go?" I wrap my arms around his neck and press my lips to his, unwilling for the kiss to end. He lifts me off the ground, obviously just as unwilling to let go as I am.

"You'll be hearing from me soon, its only a few weeks."

"Be safe." He kisses me once more and turns to walk away. It feels to me like he's taken a piece of my heart with him.

 **A/N Thanks again for such great reviews! Such kind words always make me want to post the next chapter quicker!**


	14. Chapter 14

I don't go to bed when he leaves, I just curl up back on the couch. The blanket we were using still smells like him so I wrap myself in it, trying to stop the tears. I don't know how long I sit there, but I'm anything but tired. At some point the tears of sadness stop and morph into tears of anger. Tobias had done his duty, he was entitled to more time home. Unfortunately for my dad, this is when he walks in.

"Hey, baby. You ok?" He's approaching me like I'm a rabid animal, which to be fair is probably what I look like.

"How long did you know?"

"What?"

"I said, how long did you know?"

"How long did I know what?" He's playing dumb at the moment, knowing exactly what I'm talking about. It only makes me angrier.

"HOW LONG DID YOU KNOW HE WAS GOING BACK?!" I scream at him. I want him to yell back, I want to be able to keep yelling, but all I can see in his expression is sadness.

"Sweetheart, what does it matter?"

"It matters because I'm your daughter and my feelings should mean something to you! You should have told me as soon as you knew he was leaving."

"Beatrice, you mean the world to me and you already know that." He takes a deep breath. "I've known before you first told me you were writing to him," he admits unable to meet my eyes.

"AND YOU KEPT THIS SECRET FROM ME?" My throat feels like it's on fire, but I don't care.

"Tris, you know I wasn't allowed to tell you, especially when he was just a pen pal. I wasn't even allowed to tell you now. I begged Four to tell you that he was leaving, but he insisted that he wanted to see you happy. He said he'd wait till the last minute to tell you. He wasn't very happy with me when I spilled the beans, but I thought you had a right to know."

"What's he doing? Will he really be home by Christmas? I've never heard of a Marine going back less than a week after they came home."

"Beatrice, you know I can't tell you that. This is what I was trying to warn you about. It's not easy being with a Marine, this is why I wanted you to stay away from him. Especially because I knew he'd be going back so soon. Honey, I love you and seeing you hurting like this breaks my heart."

My anger deflates only to be replaced by an empty feeling. My dad pulls me into his arms where I cry until eventually I fall into an uneasy sleep.

When I wake later on Friday morning, I see my dad asleep in the recliner. I'm wrapped up in the blanket and there's a pillow under my head. Regret washes through me when I realize how much I must have hurt my dad by yelling at him.

I decide to go to make him some breakfast in hopes that he'll forgive me. I'm just taking the omelettes out of the pan when he walks in.

"Am I still on your list?" he asks.

"No Dad, I'm sorry I yelled."

"It's ok, I would have yelled at me too. Thanks for breakfast, it smells delicious."

"You're welcome. Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

"Honey, you'll always be forgiven so don't spend your time worrying about that. What's on the agenda for you today?"

"I'm supposed to meet my friends, Four was going to come with me. I guess he knew he wouldn't be there when he agreed." My dad give me a sad smile.

"If it makes you feel any better he was torn up at the thought of leaving you. He almost backed out of his mission, since it was voluntary. He felt he had to go though, and I really respect him for it."

"I do too, and it sounds like it's going to be easy. I just hate that he had to leave so soon after coming home and even though he said I shouldn't be, I'm obviously worried." My dad doesn't say anything, but pulls me in for a tight hug.

We eat breakfast and I go to get ready to meet my friends. Uriah and Zeke are going to be picking me up then we're supposed to go to Christina's house.

When the boys pull up to the house I realize that Zeke might have known that Tobias was leaving.

"Hey there Tris," Uriah says. "Are we picking up Four?" The look on Zeke's face tells me he knows he's gone.

"How long have you known, Zeke?" I ask. Uriah has a confused look on his face.

"He told me right after he had the meeting with your dad. I don't know what he's doing, I just know he'd go off on these side missions for a few days at a time. From what he told me when we were over there he knew he'd be going back. I guess it's just much sooner than originally planned."

"Wait, Four is gone again?" Uriah asks, turning around to look at me. I can't get myself to answer, so I just nod my head instead.

I spend the rest of the day with my friends. I'm glad to have their company, but it's a little depressing. They're all in couples now that Shauna and Zeke are officially together, so I'm the only one alone here.

I'm lucky to have good friends that are trying their hardest to make sure I don't feel alone. When Zeke and Uriah take me back home later that night, I do feel slightly better than when I left the house this morning.

When I walk in the house I can see my dad at the kitchen table doing work. He certainly has been busier than normal. "There's mail for you," he says with a small smile. I take the envelope from him, confused when I see Tobias' handwriting on it. I walk to my room and sit on my bed before opening it.

 _Tris,_

 _By now you probably realized that your dad knew about this mission all along. He had been begging me to tell you from day 1, but I just couldn't do that to you. Please don't be angry with him. He was only doing what I asked him to do, even if he didn't agree with it. Also, please don't be angry with me for not telling you sooner._

 _I just wanted to let you know that this past week has been one of the best of my life. I'm writing this letter at 3:15 in the morning as I'm waiting to get on the plane, and all I'm thinking about is how much I'd rather be curled up with you at our favorite spot on the beach. It's going to be a long few weeks, but I'm going to think about how we'll spend Christmas evening together listening to the waves crash. Hopefully that image will be enough for you too._

 _-Tobias_

I hug that note as if its actually him I'm holding. For now this letter will have to be enough to hold me over until I see him again. I fall asleep, picturing our Christmas spent together with family and friends and a trip to our favorite spot that night by ourselves.

 **A/N I really want to thank everyone for the reviews and requests for an update, especially rubberduckybugati who always writes such wonderful reviews :-)**


	15. Chapter 15

The first two weeks after Tobias left had gone by at a snail's pace. I continued to check the mail daily, even though I was sure there wouldn't be anything from him yet. He had said to start looking for his letter around two weeks after he left, so when the two week time period had passed, I ran to the mailbox every day. I often asked my dad for any updates, but he never has anything to tell me. I'm not sure if it's because he's not allowed or if he genuinely doesn't know, either way he's not telling me anything.

After three weeks go by, I'm very much on edge. I have taken to waiting outside for the mail if I'm not at school. My friends often give me sideways looks and whisper around each other, obviously doing whatever they can to help me stay calm. My dad still has no information but he swears that no news is good news.

"I don't get it, how is it possible that you don't know anything?" I ask my dad one afternoon.

"Its because of where they're located. Messages don't get back to us quickly. There's no internet, no phones, so the only way news travels is with people and they don't want to waste resources on non-essential information. Honestly, by the time I get word that he's coming home, he'll already be on his way. I promise though, as soon as I hear something I'll let you know."

Its Christmas Eve now, just about 5 weeks from when he left. I run to the mailbox praying to see something from Tobias. He had promised I'd have a letter from him before Christmas so if it doesn't come today, then I won't have it on time. My heart sinks when I see there's no letter from him.

I walk into the house expecting the same blank look my dad always gives me when I come home. This is why I panic when I see a grim look instead.

"No." Its the only word I can get out at the moment.

"Beatrice, sweetheart," my dad says softly.

"No! Unless you're telling me Tobias is safe and coming home soon I don't want to hear it." I can feel the tears welling up in my eyes but he continues anyway.

"The message is from a week and a half ago. Tobias and his team went in, but several didn't come back out. They found a few bodies during a recovery mission, but his wasn't one of them. They think he might have been captured. I don't know what the situation is currently, but it doesn't look good. Honey, I'm so sorry." I can actually see tears in his eyes as well, I can't even remember the last time I saw him cry.

"But I thought this was supposed to be an easy mission. He was supposed to be home by Christmas."

"Tris, this mission was anything but easy. They had a very hard time recruiting soldiers for it because it was so dangerous, but he was one of the first to volunteer. It was a miracle that anyone made it out alive."

"Why didn't you tell me it was so dangerous? I didn't think when I said goodbye it was going to be for the last time!" It feels like my heart is ripping out of my chest as I'm saying these words.

"I have a duty to my soldiers. If he didn't want to tell you, that's his decision."

"Don't you have a duty to me too?" I can barely get the words out because I'm sobbing.

"Of course, but he was doing it because he cares about you, not out of malice. If it were me, I wouldn't have told you either." I'm shocked to see tears in his eyes too.

"Beatrice, he gave me a letter to give to you if something was to happen to him. He said he made a promise to get you a letter by Christmas. He said if you didn't get one, then I was supposed to give this to you." He hands me a letter with no stamp, no mailing address and no return address. This letter was obviously written before he left. I just stare at it for a few minutes before I get the courage to walk to my room to read it.

I open the letter slowly, taking a few deep breathes before I start to read his last words to me.

 _Tris,_

 _I'm really hoping you never have to read this letter, but if you do I want you know how sorry I am. Please know that I never wanted to leave you. I lied to you about this mission but it was only because of how much I care for you. I never wanted you to worry about me. Every day I had prayed that I would come home to you, even though I knew the chances were slim._

 _I promised you that you'd hear from me by Christmas, so this is me keeping that promise. If you haven't heard from me yet, its probably because the mission went badly. We were told if we weren't home by Christmas then we were probably not going home at all._

 _I wanted you to know that I think that I'm in love with you, but I was waiting until I was sure to tell you. Then again, maybe I'm already sure but I just didn't want to frighten you._

 _Tris, you have gotten me through some dark times. I carried you around with me, like my own personal guardian angel. You're the reason I've fought so hard to come home._

 _If this last mission was my end, just know that my last thoughts were of you. I hope you can forgive me for leaving you._

 _Love always_

 _Tobias_

I fall to my knees beside my bed and I think I cry, or at least I want to. Everything inside me screams for just one more kiss, one more word, one more glance, one more.

 **A/N - two of my favorite parts of divergent in this chapter. The last one made me weep like a baby when I read it in allegiant, but its** **so well written. The spin is** **that Tris is saying it about Tobias. If you would like the next chapter, just ask! Maybe I'll even post it tonight if I get enough requests. :-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N Wow! I got almost 20 requests in the past hour or so asking for an update! Well, I hope you enjoy this one! After this I've got another chapter, plus a loooong epilogue. I'm also slowly working on either a second book or a part 2 to this book. I love these characters too much to stop writing about them. Please let me know what you think of this chapter!**

I wake up very early Christmas morning. I'm still in my same clothes from yesterday and there's a moment of peace before the memory of Tobias' note comes crashing down on me.

The tears come flowing down again and the pain is so strong I can barely breathe. I try to take a hot shower to relieve some of the pain, but it doesn't work. I end up going to the living room, wrapping myself in the blanket that no longer smells like Tobias and stare at the Christmas tree.

"Merry Christmas, Beatrice," my dad's voice surprises me.

"Merry Christmas," I mumble back. There's certainly nothing "merry" about today.

"So, um, what did the letter from Four say?"

"It basically said if he's not home by Christmas, he's not coming home at all. I can't believe you both lied to me about this mission," I say.

"It's only because we care about you. I love you with all my heart and if I'm not mistaken, Four feels very much the same." At my dad's words I remember that Tobias told me in the letter that he loved me. Unfortunately, I'll never be able to say those words to him. I was afraid it was way too early to say things like that, even if I believed it was true, so I just didn't. Now I'll have to live with the regret of my unspoken words.

"Felt."

"What?" he asks.

"He felt the same, past tense. He's not here anymore so anything he did or emotions he had are in the past."

"Oh sweetheart, the people we love never leave us. I feel your mom's presence all the time. She's here watching over us, just like he is. Love transcends death. Always."

I don't have a comment for that, but it does take the tiniest fraction of pain away.

"Why don't you get ready for church, there's no better place to be at a time like this." I've always loved going church, especially on holidays. I sing in the choir and I feel so at home when I'm there. Going to church is the last thing in the world I want to do at this moment which means it's probably exactly what I need. There's no better place to pray for a miracle. At this point that's the only thing that can help me, a miracle.

I go upstairs and get ready, putting on the special dress I had gotten just for this occasion. A wave of grief hits me as I think about what Tobias would have said if he saw me today. I had imagined the moment he came over Christmas morning so many times, I had planned out this whole day in my head. I was beyond excited to take him to church with me, to show him one of my favorite places to be, but now that will never happen.

My dad drives us to church, and we both remain silent. By this point I'm completely numb. I know I should still feel sad, but it's like I'm unable to do so anymore. My body actually feels tired.

My dad forces me up to the choir, saying it will be good for me, but my heart isn't really in it. Luckily for me I begin to go into autopilot, getting lost in the music. I see my dad looking at me with pride in his eyes, and I can feel myself smile briefly.

The rest of the day is a blur. It's not that it's speeding by, it's just that I'm too out of it to notice it passing. I can still see my present to Tobias under the tree, but I don't have the heart to move it. My friends stop by to say "Merry Christmas", but don't end up staying long. I don't blame them though. They have the opportunity to escape my grief while I, on the other hand, feel like I'm drowning in it.

I keep Tobias' letter with me all day, tucked in my pocket. It's the best I can do as far as having him with me on Christmas. I haven't been able to reread it at all, paralyzed by grief every time I try. I cook dinner that night, another thing I had pictured Tobias being here for, making a roast beef. As I peel potatoes I see the new peeler I had brought specifically for him. He complained that we could get the potatoes peeled twice as fast if I had an extra peeler, so I got one for him.

I never thought I'd get so emotional over a potato peeler.

My dad raves about dinner that night, but I'm sure it's only to cheer me up. Everything tastes like cardboard to me anyways.

"Beatrice, why don't you go lay down while I clean up," my dad says.

"It's ok Dad, I can clean up today." I'm really just anxious to do something at the moment besides sitting still.

"Nope, the deal is you cook and I'll clean." I have a flashback to Thanksgiving when my dad says something similar to Tobias.

"I'm going to go to the beach for a bit then, ok?" I ask.

"The beach? Why?"

"It was part of our plan. We were going to spend the day with friends and family, then go to the beach after dinner just the two of us. I feel like I should still go."

"All right honey, I'll see you a little later, ok?" he asks. He wraps his arms around me and holds me for a few moments.

"Mm-hmm."

I don't feel like getting changed, but I grab my coat and a blanket. When I get to the beach, I spread out the blanket and lay on my back, looking up at the stars. I'm unsure of how I will deal with the pain I'm feeling every day. I had the love of my life snatched away from me before I was ever able to tell him. I can only hope he knows how much he meant to me and that I had fallen in love with him in the short amount of time we were together.

I remembered what my dad said about the ones we love never leaving us. If there was any place in the world that Tobias could hear me, it's here at our favorite spot. I look up at the stars, imagining that he's looking back at me.

"Tobias, I'm sorry I never had the chance to tell you in person, but I want you to know that I love you." I can hear someone's feet shuffling through the sand near me, but I can't bring myself to care that someone is listening in on my grief.

"I love you too, Tris."

I shoot up, unable to believe that it was his voice I heard. When I see it's him standing there, still in his fatigues, I am momentarily paralyzed in shock. It's him though, and he's staring at me like I'm the only person that exists on this planet.

I don't remember moving, but suddenly I am in his arms and he has pulled me off of my feet in an effort to crash his lips onto mine. He kisses me so hard it hurts, but I have never felt anything as amazing in my life. He pulls his lips from mine and sets me back on the ground, but we are unable to let go of one another. I'm sobbing again, but this time it's for all the right reasons.

"I thought you were dead," I say sniffling.

"I know, I'm sorry." He pulls me in close again and I lean into his neck, breathing deep the scent I've been craving these past 5 weeks.

"My dad gave me your letter."

"I'm so sorry, Tris. I figured if I wasn't home by Christmas Eve it meant I wasn't coming home at all. I promised you a letter by Christmas, and one way or another I wanted to keep that promise."

"I don't care, I'm just so happy you're here." I hug him so tight I'm surprised he can breathe. He's got tears streaking down his face too, I can feel them mixing with my own.

"What happened? Even my dad thought you were gone," I ask.

"Honestly, you're the reason I got home alive." He pulls out his dog tags with my cross still on it.

"We went into the building with a job to do, one we knew could very likely get us killed. Luckily God was watching over us because almost all of us got out. The plan was to split into pairs to head back towards the convoy. It was at that moment I realized I dropped your cross. Looking back it was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done, but I went back to see if I could find them because I thought I heard something fall as I exited the building. Just as I had turned around a bomb goes off right were I was standing about 30 seconds before. Unfortunately the soldier I had paired off with didn't make it, but if I hadn't turned back, I wouldn't have been standing here today."

"I'm so sorry Tobias." It's all I can't think to say.

"We all went in knowing it could be our last day. It's a miracle so many of us came home, I'm very thankful for that." He's holding me so incredibly tight, but still not tight enough.

"That still doesn't explain why no one knew you were alive."

"Because of the damage to the road I was taking I had to go the long way back to the convoy and by the time I got there, they were gone assuming I was killed in the blast as well. I had to walk for days to get back to camp, luckily I had food and water with me. The recovery mission had already went by that time so they thought I was captured and had sent a message to your father which he didn't get until yesterday. I got back to our camp the day before yesterday. When I got to camp the soldiers were getting ready to board the plane home, so they threw me on the flight too."

"Did you go to my house first? Does my dad know your home?"

"I'm sure he does by now, but I didn't tell him. I knew without a doubt that you'd be here."

I turn to face him and situate myself so I'm straddling his lap. I lean into him again, unable to resist being in his arms. We sit like that for a while, with me sniffling every once and a while in an effort to calm down. Luckily his scent has a very calming effect for me, and he strokes my back reassuringly.

When I've finally calmed down enough that I can speak coherently, I pull back so I can look him in the eye.

"Tobias, I am so sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I was scared it was too soon, but I think I loved you before we even met."

"So tell me now, say it again,"

"I love you, Tobias."

"I love you too, Tris. Always."


	17. Chapter 17

**364 days later - Christmas Eve**

"I'll be here first thing tomorrow morning, ok?" Tobias tells me. We're standing by the kitchen door, both unwilling to have him leave for the night. Since he came back last Christmas he's moved out of the barracks and into a house near to base in Sneads Ferry. He had gotten a big promotion and an award for his bravery, as did the others on his team.

"Don't you ever want to sleep?" I tease.

"Not unless it's next to you." I blush at his words and reach up to pull him down for a quick kiss. "I know you had a lot of expectations for last Christmas, hopefully I can make up for disappointing you last year." He says this so earnestly, like I blame him for what happened.

"Last year was simultaneously the best and worst Christmas I've ever had but you came back home to me, that's all that matters."

"That's good to hear because you're stuck with me now. Where ever I go, you're coming with me." Tobias had decided he was done with deployment. He had fulfilled his duty and has promised me no more dangerous situations. Considering it was my dad that needed to sign off on this, it was very easily approved.

"That sounds perfect to me. Now go! If you're insisting on coming over so early then you need to go get some sleep," I say.

"Yes ma'am," he says with a quick kiss before he walks back to his car. I watch and wait for him to leave before I close the door, giving him a wave before he pulls away.

I go to bed thinking about how tonight was so different from last Christmas Eve. Last year I had fallen asleep thinking I had lost Tobias forever. Soon after he had come home, he told me why he agreed to take this mission. He took it when he had nothing to lose and no family to miss him. He couldn't stand knowing that soldiers with wives and children were risking their lives, so he volunteered instead. Him and the other 6 that survived all received Silver Stars for their heroism. I have never been as proud as the moment I watched my dad give Tobias his award.

Tobias and I have spent almost every available moment together, which to be fair, is not as much as we wish we could spend together. I'm now in my Junior year of my nursing degree and Tobias is very busy on base with new recruits. The time we do spend together is amazing though. He comes with me to church on Sunday's, we spend all our holidays together and we still love to cook together. One time I teased him saying he only pretended to cook so he could impress me. That resulted in me being banished from my own kitchen one day while he prepared a delicious chicken in a wine sauce. My dad said that I should tease him more often if it means he gets to eat meals like that.

I'm also happy to say that my dad and Tobias get along well too. Tobias has relaxed around him quite a bit and enjoys engaging in our usual banter. They've even went out a couple times without me, which I couldn't be happier about.

This holiday season has been my favorite yet, and I'm very much looking forward to tomorrow. We had another nice Thanksgiving together, this time without his impending mission hovering over our heads. He has also been around to help decorate the house, something my dad never does since I've been old enough to do it myself. Tobias and I decorated the tree one night with my father sitting on the couch trying to tell us all the ornaments were in the wrong place. That ended with a handful of tinsel being thrown at my dad by Tobias while I was doubled over in laughter.

I must have fallen asleep at some point during my reminiscing because next thing I know my alarm is going off. I jump up and start to get ready, putting on my new dress for Christmas and doing my hair and makeup. I'm just walking down the stairs when I hear a knock at the kitchen door. When I answer the door I'm greeting by Tobias looking extremely handsome in a suit.

"Merry Christmas, Tris. You look absolutely beautiful," he says as he looks at me adoringly.

"Merry Christmas, Tobias." I give him a quick peck on the cheek. I know I'm smiling ear to ear. Last year this is all I wanted, to have him here with me, and now he is.

"Do you want your Christmas present?" he asks me.

"We usually wait until after church to open presents," I tell him.

"Well I actually have three presents for you, but it would mean a lot to me if you'd open this one now. I'd love for you to wear it to church."

My interest was now piqued, so I drag him to the living room to sit in front of the tree. He sits on the couch then pulls me on his lap and hands me a small package.

I look at him curiously for a moment when I see that he looks nervous. I unwrap the the gift slowly to see that there is a small box. When I open the box I'm stunned into silence. There's a delicate silver chain with a small antique looking silver cross with jewels covering it.

"Tobias... this is incredible. Thank you," I say whispering, not trusting my voice.

"May I?" he asks as he holds out his hand to the necklace. "That is, if you want to wear it I mean."

Instead of answering him, I hand him the necklace and hold my hair out of his way. After he latches it he pulls back a little as if to see what I look like wearing it.

"Seriously Tobias, this is beautiful. You didn't need to get me something this extravagant."

"Well I needed to replace yours since you wouldn't take it back." I smile at him remembering how I said he needed to keep it so I knew he'd be safe at all times.

"Yea but mine was just a simple cross, this one is so beautiful. I love the silver with the crystals."

"It's actually platinum with diamonds." It feels like my eyes are going to pop out of their sockets. "Relax Tris, I didn't spend a cent on it. It was my mother's. Well actually it was her mother's and it was passed down to my mom. It's the one possession of hers I was able to take from my house because it fit in my pocket."

"Oh Tobias, I can't take this," I say with tears in my eyes.

"Of course you can, I have _your_ mom's after all. Unless you don't like it or don't want it," he says looking nervous again.

"It's not that at all, I just don't want to take the only thing you got from her. I've got lots of keepsakes from my mom."

"As long as you're not trying to find a nice way to tell me you don't like it, it would mean to world to me to see you wear my mother's necklace. Please?" He gives me his adorable pouty look and I know I've lost. I can't resist that face and he knows it.

"Fine," I concede. "For the record, my present is really lame compared to this."

"I doubt that," he says, giving me a kiss on the cheek. I lean my head against his shoulder and we sit in comfortable silence as we stare at the lit Christmas tree.

"You guys ready to go?" my dad asks when he comes downstairs.

"Yea, let me just grab my coat," I say as I run up the stairs to grab my dress coat. When I come back down, Tobias takes it from me and helps me put it on. We walk to the car together and drive towards church.

"That's a nice cross, Tris," my dad comments when he looks over at me.

"Tobias just gave it to me. It was his mother's."

"Wow, you really must rate," he teases.

"She certainly does," Tobias comments from the back with a smile as we pull into the church parking lot.

"Do you mind if I sing?" I ask Tobias. When we go to church normally he doesn't seem to mind, but since this is Christmas I figure he might want me to sit with him.

"No, not at all. I love watching you sing, you get such a peaceful expression on your face." My dad has already taken his usual seat so I sneak a quick kiss at the back of the church before going up front to sing with the choir.

I can't help but look at the two men I love more than anyone else in this world. I feel so special as I see the look of pride in their eyes as they watch me. I send up a quick prayer, thankful for how different this Christmas is from last Christmas.

Later that day Tobias and I are getting things ready for dinner so we can go and exchange presents with my dad. Things take longer than usual since we keep taking breaks to share a few lingering kisses.

"Have I made up for last Christmas yet?" Tobias teases.

"You have nothing to make up for, but this has been the best Christmas ever," I say as I reach up on my toes to run my fingers through his hair and pull him in for another kiss.

As usual when he kisses me in the kitchen, he lifts me up onto the counter so he doesn't have to bend down so far. This is just fine by me since it allows me to deepen the kiss further. I can feel my heart race as I start to lift his shirt and run my fingers along his spine as he lifts up my skirt slightly so he can get closer to me. One of my favorite things about Tobias is that he has never once pressured me to do anything I'm not comfortable with, which is why I can trust him in moments like this to not go further.

He pulls away from me after a few minutes and we're both desperately trying to catch our breath.

"Have I mentioned lately how much I'm in love with you?" He tells me holding my face and looking me in the eye. He does this often, and it's always like he's saying it for the first time. Like he's making sure I believe him.

"A time or two, I think," I tease, still somewhat breathless.

"Just checking," he says with a wink.

"I really want you to open my present, even though it's got nothing on this," I say, touching my new beautiful cross.

"I can't wait to see it, I'm sure it's wonderful. You didn't need to get me anything though, you're enough." I blush and stare at my hands, I'm still not great at taking compliments from him.

"Are we ready to do this?" my dad says as we walk in the room.

"Yep. Can you still get down on the floor, old man?" I ask.

"Ha ha... I think I can handle it."

We spend the next few minutes opening presents with my dad. He likes the new running shoes and sweatshirts I got him since he's been complaining that he needs them, but he really loves the new pocket knife from Tobias.

"I think he's got you beat, Tris," my dad jokes.

"No kidding," I stare at Tobias with wide eyes, he totally kicked my butt.

"Ok, open mine, Tris," Tobias says.

"You already got me the cross, you didn't need to get another present too."

"Oh, well there's still one more that you'll get later," he says while sharing a quick look with my dad.

I open the present from Tobias and I see a book. I open it up to see a scrapbook of our year together. There's the picture from the paintball range with him covered in paint, printouts of the emails we sent to one another. A picture of him, my dad and me when he was receiving his award among many other pictures that document our first year together.

"I can't... This is..." I stumble.

"I think that means she likes it," my dad stage whispers to Tobias.

"It's beautiful, Tobias," I can actually feel tears pouring down my cheeks.

"Why are you crying?" he says, laughing as he wipes away the tears.

"I just... I know Christmas isn't about gifts, but you gave me two of the most beautiful presents ever, and mine can't come even close to that.

"It's not a competition," he says softly, cradling my cheek in his hand. .

"I know, I'm sorry," I sniffle, staring at a picture of him and me on the beach in my new book and feeling silly for this overreaction.

"Why don't you give him yours, honey," my dad says.

Reluctantly I hand over the the large, flat box, and I sit nervously while I wait for him to open it. It takes him a bit, since it's kind of an awkward shape, but once he does, he just stares at the large framed panoramic picture of the the Navy Pier at night time.

"I remember from your emails that you said the pier was the one thing you missed from Chicago, especially the Ferris wheel at night. You're also seriously lacking some art in your new house, so I thought you might like this." I wait for a response from him but he still seems to be rendered speechless.

"I think that means he likes it," my dad stage whispers again, then laughs.

"Tris, this is incredible. I can't believe you remembered that. You thought I wasn't going to like this?" He asks.

"I was hoping you would..." I trail off.

"I know just the place for it, over the fireplace." He's looking at it and smiling as if he can imagine it there now.

Eventually we sit back and relax while we watch the old cartoon "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" which was my favorite Christmas show growing up. My dad and I have watched it before Christmas dinner every year together, except for last year. I can feel Tobias' laughter when he hears me singing along with the Who's.

Just as the show goes off its time to pull the roast out of the oven so we head to the kitchen to to finish up dinner while my dad sets the table. We sit down around 3:00, and my dad says grace.

"Heavenly Father, we thank you for this meal we're about to eat. I especially want to thank you for allowing Tobias to be home safe with us to enjoy this Christmas. We pray that you keep watch over the armed forces that cannot be home with their families and friends and that you keep them safe. Amen."

My eyes shoot to my dads when he says Tobias' name, it's the one and only time I've heard him say it.

"What? It _is_ his name..." he says defensively. Tobias and I burst out laughing and we all dig in. By the time we finish dinner and dessert it's almost 6:00.

"All right kids, you know the rules. You cook, I clean. Get out of here," my dad says with a smile.

"Beach?" Tobias asks.

"Beach," I agree with a smile. Before we leave though my dad pulls me in for a hug and I swear he almost looks teary eyed.

"Thank you for the most amazing Christmas, Tobias," I say as we make the short drive towards Topsail Island.

"I should be the one thanking you. I never imagined me having a family Christmas ever since my mother died. You and your dad treat me like family," he says as he holds my hand.

"That's because you _are_ family, Tobias," I say as we pull up. Tobias has a grin on his face as he gets out of the car to come and open my door. He grabs the blanket and we walk hand in hand towards the sand. He lays out the blanket as we sit down in the same way we always do, me in front of him leaning against his chest.

"I can't believe that it's been a year since you came home," I say looking at the stars, reminiscing.

"The best year of my life," Tobias adds.

"Mine too," I say with a smile. Suddenly he stands up and pulls me to me feet as well.

"Tris, are you happy with me?" Tobias asks.

"Of course I am! Why would you think otherwise?" He ignored that question and continues.

"Do you love me?" His questions are making me nervous. Why is he unsure of my feelings? I take his face in my hands and force him to look at me before I answer.

"More than you can ever know."

"Beatrice, you are my everything. Without you, I wouldn't be standing here today and there's no one else I want to be standing with besides you." He gets down on one knee and pulls out a little box. "Tris, please do me the honor of marrying me." He takes out the ring and holds up to me with a pleading look on his face.

It takes me a moment to comprehend the sudden change in the conversation, but once I understand I can feel the smile growing on my face.

"Yes!" I say just before I tackle him, us landing together in the sand. I'm laying completely on top of him when I start kissing him everywhere my lips can reach, his face, his neck, his chest, both of us laughing hysterically.

"Wait!" He yells between the onslaught of kisses, though he's still laughing. "You didn't look at your third Christmas present!" He sit us both up, me remaining in his lap when he presents me with a ring. It's either white gold or platinum, with a large diamond and a pattern around the band that almost looks like his mother's cross.

"Wow..." It's all I'm capable of saying at the moment.

"May I?" he asks for a second time today. I nod my head and he places the ring on my finger.

"It's meant to match your cross, I hope it's ok. If it's not we can go an exchange it for something you like better."

"I don't think I could have imagined a more beautiful ring if I tried. Does my dad know about this?"

"Of course, I went to him while you were at school to ask his permission. He said he never wanted to have his daughter end up with a Marine, but I changed his mind about that. He said he'd be proud to call me his son-in-law." He says this with an expression that says a lot. I can tell he's happy that he's going to have a father-in-law that will actually treat him like a son, something he never got from his own father.

"There's an engraving on the inside too." he tells me. I take the ring off for a moment so I can read the engraving and then kiss him again, unable to believe that this man wants to be my husband. I read the engraving once more before placing it on my finger where it'll stay forever:

" _My Guardian Angel_ "

 **A/N Thank you for reading my story! To the guest reviewer that asked how he got home. He was thrown on the plane, not off. Please let me know what you think! Only the epilogue left :-)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A year and half later...**

"Beatrice are you ready yet?" I hear my dad yell from downstairs.

"You can't rush perfection, Mr. Prior," Christina yells back down.

"My daughter is already perfect, it's in the Prior genes," my dad says, laughing. It amazes me that he can be so calm when his only daughter is getting married. It must have something to do with his military training.

I can feel butterflies in my stomach as Christina finishes my hair and makeup. It's not that I'm nervous about marrying Tobias. I'm not just big into being the center of attention, and since I'm General Prior's daughter, there's going to be lots of attention.

"All right Tris, you ready to put on your dress?" Christina asks me.

"Yes ma'am, let's do this." I go in the other room and put on the corset and walk back into my bedroom where Christina is ready with my dress. She helps me get it on and buttons up the back before I look at myself in the mirror for the first time. I can't believe the girl in the mirror is me. Christina did an excellent job with my hair and makeup, keeping me looking very natural. My hair is loosely pulled back in a half ponytail leaving my hair in soft waves with a veil. I have no idea where the 30 bobby pins she jammed into my skull has went, because it looks beautiful. My dress is lace with cap sleeves and an A-line skirt that flows out. Tobias begged Christina to make sure it looked like me he was marrying and not someone that didn't look or dress anything like me. She, of course, said I'd be wearing a dress with a plunging neckline and bright-red lipstick. He gave her his best scary drill instructor face, but she wasn't fazed in the least.

"Ok, you have your new dress, I let you borrow my silver bracelet, your garter belt has the blue flowers, now we just need your something old," Christina says.

"Don't worry, I have that," my dad says as he walks in. "These were your mother's and I was saving them specifically for this day." I can feel tears springing up in my eyes as I open the small box containing simple diamond pendant earrings.

"Oh Daddy, these are beautiful," I say as I put them on.

"They've got nothing on you honey," he says as he gets tears in his eyes too. "You look so much like your mother on our wedding day."

"You Priors need to stop with all this sentimental stuff or you'll be ruining our eye makeup," Christina says.

"Ok, ok... Let's get to the church before Four gets scared you stood him up," my dad teases.

Marlene and Shauna are downstairs in their bridesmaids dresses waiting for me. They both "ooh" and "ahh" over me and the dress for a few minutes, then we're in the limo on the way to the church. I can see the last few people filtering their way into the church and before I know it, it's time to start. The girls walk in first towards the groomsmen and Tobias, though I can't see him because he's in the middle of the church and I'm off to the side.

"Ready, sweetheart?" my dad asks me.

"Are you ready, Dad?"

"Not even a little bit, let's go," he says.

I can hear my cue in the music and we walk towards the aisle. Now I can see Tobias standing up front in his dress blues, looking so incredibly handsome I still question what he wants with me. As I get closer to him, I can see he has tears in his eyes like I do. When my dad places my hands in his, I feel like I'm home. The wedding ceremony isn't too long, but it's very sweet. Near the end though, I'm getting very anxious for the kiss, so when the minister says that Tobias may now kiss his bride, it's me that leans into him first. We pull away, both smiling hugely at one another.

When we get to the wedding reception I feel like I can finally relax. Tobias and I have our first dance, my dad and I do the father-daughter dance, and Tobias dances with Mrs. Pedrad for the mother-son dance. We've been spending a lot of time with Zeke and Uriah at Mrs. Pedrad's lately so she has kind of become an adopted mother to Tobias.

When I can finally be back in his arms, I feel a sense of relief. We sway slowly to the music with my head leaning on his chest.

"Have I told you today how beautiful you look?" Tobias asks me.

"Thank you," I answer rather awkwardly. I'm still not very good with compliments.

"I love your dress, but I bet it would look better off of you," he says as he gives me a wicked smile. I can see the passion in his eyes when he says this, but he also blushes.

"Wait until you see what I have on under this dress," I answer, also blushing. I had told him at the beginning of our relationship about things I wouldn't do until I was married, and he never pressured me otherwise. Together we had found a middle ground between what we wanted and what we thought was wise. Tonight we can stop being wise.

His breath catches for a moment while his eyes widen and his mouth drops open. "I never would have thought I'd want to rush through our wedding reception, but right now I certainly wouldn't mind if it was over," he says once he can speak. I can't help but giggle at that and press my lips to his in a chaste kiss.

"Three hours and counting," I say with a smile.

Between dinner, dessert and dancing those three hours breeze by. Before we know it we're saying goodnight to our friends and family. My dad is the last one there with us and I can see tears in his eyes.

"I'm really going to miss having you at home, Beatrice."

"I'm going to miss you too, Dad, but you're still going to see plenty of me. We'll be over next weekend for dinner, ok?" I say. It breaks my heart to know he's going to be alone in that house. "I can also meet you for lunch during the week, and you're always welcome to visit us too."

"I'll be fine Tris, I'm just going to miss having you around. I'm very proud of the young woman you've become and I'm so happy you found such a good man that makes you happy." He turns towards Tobias now. "I'm very happy you two have found each other, please take care of her."

"I will, sir," Tobias answers.

"It's 'Dad' now," he says and I can see Tobais' eyes widen. I can only imagine how much it means to him that my dad sees him as a son.

"Ok, Dad," Tobias says as if he's trying out the words. My dad smiles at him and claps him on the shoulder before turning to me again.

"I love you, Beatrice," he says hugging me.

"I love you too, Dad." He gives me one more squeeze before he grabs his jacket and heads out.

"You ready to go home?" Tobias asks me. I nod and we head out to his car. Over the past week we've been moving my stuff into Tobias' house in Sneads Ferry, though he doesn't like when I refer to it as his house. He said once my name is changed we'd be adding my name to the title so it will officially be my house too. He had bought it when we had already been dating for about six months, so I had helped him paint and decorate, though he insisted that the picture I gave him of Navy Pier was to hang in a spot of honor in the living room once he got it for Christmas.

We pull up to the house and he rushes to my side to open my door. We're walking up path when be suddenly swoops me off my feet and I yell in surprise.

"Sorry," he says with a laugh. "Tradition dictates that I should carry you across the threshold."

"Well who am I to argue with tradition," I answer rather breathlessly. He carries me inside and sits on the couch with me on his lap. I lean down to kiss him, the kind of kiss I've been dying to give him all day but was too shy to do in front of others. I suddenly stand up and I enjoy the look of disappointment he gives at the suddenly absence of my lips. He picks me up again and carries me to the bedroom, both of us laughing.

When he sets me down again I can feel that I'm trembling and I know he can feel it too.

"You ok?" he asks.

"Yes of course, just a little bit nervous."

"Me too." I actually feel better knowing he's nervous too. "Turn around."

I do as he says and he slowly takes out the bobby pins holding up my hair and my veil. He runs his fingers through my hair then pushes it to the side so he can kiss the side of my neck. His lips linger there while his fingers trail lightly up my arms. They move to the buttons at the back of my dress.

"May I?" he asks.

"Mm-hmm," I answer, unable to speak. I can feel his fingers shaking as they trail down my spine. When he finishes I'm left standing in my corset, underwear and high heel shoes. When I turn around to face Tobias I can see he's breathing heavy as his eyes rake up and down my body.

"My God, you're beautiful, Tris," he says. Instead of answering him I begin to unbutton his shirt and slide it down his arms then pull his under shirt up over his head. My fingers trail down his defined chest and abs and I can hear his breath catch. I continue to the button of his pants and my fingers fumble there for a few seconds before his pants join my dress on the floor.

He lifts me up and I wrap my legs around him before he places me on the bed. Our first time is a bit awkward and little painful, but it is also sweet, tender and full of passion and love.

We lay there together afterward, trying to slow our breathing, his fingers lightly drawing patterns on my skin. As we stare at each other I think about how I lucky I am that this man loves me. It may have been a bumpy road at the beginning, but we are together now and that's what matters.

* * *

 **Three years later...**

"Tris, are you ready to go?" Tobias says as he walks in after work.

"Coming!" I shout from the other room.

"There's my two girls," he says with a smile when I greet him in the living room. He gives me a kiss, then takes our daughter from me. "Hi Natalie, were you good for mommy today?" Tobias had insisted that we named her after my mom, knowing how much it would mean to me and my dad, but asked if her middle name could be Evelyn after his mom.

"She was perfect. We went shopping then she took a nap so I could get some cooking done. This afternoon we went to meet Christina for lunch."

"I'm so glad you had a nice day, I know you were worried about how you were going to do everything with Natalie. Do you need any help getting her stuff together?"

"No, she's all packed if you can just get the stuff in the car, please."

"Yes ma'am. Let me just get changed quick and I'll load the car. Are you sure you're ok with this?"

"Hey, I survived, didn't I?" He eyes me skeptically for a moment before he goes to get changed and load the car. I get Natalie into her infant seat and Tobias comes back in to carry her out and we're on our way.

It's only about a 10 minute drive from our house to the base, but I lean back and close my eyes smiling as I think about what has become a tradition. Ever since that first Thanksgiving when Tobias had come home we have Chinese food for dinner the night before with my dad. Tobias usually works that day, but he was always over early Thanksgiving morning to help cook.

Every year since we've gotten married, we've done Thanksgiving at our house, but we still spent Wednesday night at my dad's house eating Chinese food. Tonight my dad is insisting on keeping Natalie for the night and he'll bring her over tomorrow so Tobias and I can concentrate on the cooking. Since this is our first night without her, Tobias and I are a bit anxious.

My dad must have been looking out for us, because as soon as we pull in the driveway he comes out to greet us.

"Hey kids, it feels like it's been forever since I saw you." my dad tells us.

"Dad, we saw you in church on Sunday and then spent the day here." I point out to him.

"I didn't say it's actually been forever, I just said it feels like it has."

"Fair enough," I say, laughing at my dad's logic. My dad pulls me in for a quick hug and shakes Tobias' hand then goes to the back seat to grab Natalie's carrier.

"Hi there sweat pea, did you miss Grandpa?" He tickles her under the chin and she smiles up at him. He walks inside with her, completely leaving us alone.

"Well I guess we don't rate anymore," I say to Tobias, smiling.

"Well that does have its advantages," he says as he puts his hands on my hips and pushes me gently back against the car. He leans down and kisses me, mouth open, for a few moments. "As does him taking her for the night," he says once he pulls away, the look in his eyes making me feel warm all over.

Tobias and I grab Natalie's things and head inside to find my dad has taken her out of her carrier and is rocking her in his favorite chair.

Tobias runs out to get the food and we all enjoy a nice dinner together. Before I know it, it's time to leave and I start to feel anxious about leaving my 6 month old for the first time over night.

"Dad are you sure you're going to be ok?" I ask as I set up her pack and play.

"Beatrice, she'll be fine. I've had a baby girl around before and she turned out just fine if I do say so myself."

"Yea, but you had mom back then. Without her you might have forgotten me in a store or something," I tease.

"Oh just get out of here. It's time for some Grandpa and Natalie time. We'll see you around noon tomorrow."

Tobias and I leave rather reluctantly. Despite our teasing both of us trust my dad, it's just we've never been away from her for a night. The drive back home is quiet, both of us lost in our own thoughts. When we walk into the house, it hits us that we're actually alone for the first time in 6 months.

Tobias goes to lean in for a kiss, but I have to pull away, hating the look of hurt in his eyes.

"If you start now, I won't be able to stop. Can we just finish what needs to be done for tomorrow first? Then we can have the whole night to ourselves." I tell him. I see a sparkle in his eye as he agrees.

We finish baking off the pies first. It'll just be my dad for dinner, but all of our friends will be joining us for dessert. As per our usual cooking process, it involves a lot of kissing in between. Add in the fact that we haven't had a moment to ourselves and we can barely keep our hands off each other. I'm surprised anything is getting done, but we do eventually finish.

We don't get much sleep that night, but neither of us are upset by this fact. Even when our alarm goes off at 6 to put the turkey in, we both wake up energized. We don't go back to sleep but we do go back to bed, taking full advantage of our last baby-free hours together.

My dad comes over at noon on the dot and gushes over how good she was, how well rested we look and how he's demanding more sleepovers. Tobias and I don't say anything, we just catch each other's eye and smile when my dad isn't looking, amused by the fact he says we look well rested. I don't think either of us will be turning down my dad's offer.

Dinner is extremely enjoyable and before I know it our friends are showing up for dessert. Zeke and Shauna show up first with their son Jake. They had wasted no time after getting engaged and married within a year of meeting each other. Normally I'd say that's crazy, but it suits them and they're very happy.

Christina and Will show up next, and I swear she's about to pop. She's due any day now. Her and Will got married about a year after we did, and decided they wanted kids soon after. We had found out she was three months pregnant just before Natalie was born, so she is due any moment now.

Marlene and Uriah show up last, Marlene showing off a brand new engagement ring. Apparently Uriah had proposed just before dinner today. There's lots of hugging, "congratulations" and "about times" before we finally all sit down to dessert.

I look around the table and I see everyone that is important to me. I have a husband that I love more than I ever thought possible, and somehow he feels the same way about me. I have a beautiful daughter who I adore more than life itself. I have my father who has had to be both dad and mom for me, but has always done so despite his position and title within the Marines. I have friends who have become my extended family. Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on the things in your life that you are thankful for, but every day I'm thankful for the people I have in my life. Tobias and I look at each other, silently communicating with each other as we often do. I can see in his eyes that he's thinking the same thing that I am. We are truly blessed.

 **All right, that's it for now! I truly loved writing this book and I hope you've enjoyed reading it. If you have, please favorite and review! I do have an idea for a sequel to this book, but it'll be a while before I have time to write it. Thank you again for everyone that has read and left such wonderful reviews!**


End file.
